Parents pulling kids from daycare because of finances
Categories: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kids 5-7, Kids 8-11, Money & work, In the news, Childcare
The economy is hitting families every which way, and the latest casualty is childcare. According to the Associated Press, some parents are pulling kids from daycare because they can no longer foot the bill.The article cites one center in Rockford, Ill., a small city two hours northwest of Chicago. Parents are taking their kids out altogether, or reducing the number of days their kids attend, because the number of hours they work has been cut back.
Instead, parents are relying more on relatives and grandparents, or, in some extreme cases, quitting their jobs because their paycheck is less than their daycare costs. Kids on both sides suffer, say childcare workers -- those pulled out are confused and upset by the change in routine, and those left behind "act out" more due to the abrupt loss of their playmates.
It's just one more way the financial crisis is taking its toll on American working families.
My daughter attends a cooperative nursery school three mornings a week, and working in the classroom gives parents a break on tuition. Because I work as a freelance writer, I can't be in the classroom -- and that means I pay a much higher bill every month. At the same time, I pay a college student $10 an hour to stay with the baby while my daughter is in school.
It adds up, people. To the point where I am questioning the profit margin on the few gigs I still have. If I lose one or more of my clients, I'll have to nix the sitter and start wiping noses and handing out snacks at preschool, leaving me to finish my work late at night when the kids are in bed.
Has the economy changed your childcare situation? Why or why not?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Michelle 11-13-2008 @ 12:16PM
Sometimes I feel like I'm living in a twilight zone world. Children "suffer" because they are taken care of by loving relatives, grandparents, or (god forbid, only in "extreme" cases) their parents, as opposed to day care workers?
Please don't tell me I am slamming working moms, I am not. I understand some people have to work, want to work, whatever. I'm sure most people try to find the best care situation possible. And I'm sorry for anyone who finds themselves in a bad financial situation. But can anyone really argue with a straight face that very young children are BETTER off with daycare workers than with people who love them?
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Courtney 11-13-2008 @ 2:20PM
I don't think that is what they are arguing, but the fact that it is a change in their routine is what is causing the acting out. It doesn't matter if you go from relatives to daycare or the other way around, it is a change and you will have a transition period.
The kids left behind also suffer because their "friend" is gone and that is a lot on a child. Two of my daughter's friends have left our daycare center and it has been tough on her, she's 4. It does happen and noone is trying to say that to take them out to leave them with a relative is worse than daycare!
Lori 11-13-2008 @ 3:26PM
Has anyone thought that maybe the children are "acting out" because they sense the stress that their parents are under from trying to swing the exorbent price of child care?? I'm sure those "left behind" will be just fine in a week or so after they find a new best friend...let's face it....the children will be fine. I was a single mother for 6 years and paid for child care, after school care and my mother also helped. I can assure you that staying with their grandmother was my children's choice. There was no adjustment except they were given undivided attention, coated with the sweet love of a grandparent. Geesh...what is this country coming too that they feel like pre-k children can't adjust well to being with a family member rather than an overworked, stressed out day care worker????
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c_rousseau05 11-13-2008 @ 4:20PM
Well, i'm a stay home mom but I have many friends who choose and "have" to work. They were suffering in their pocketbooks already because it costs a whopping $80 + a DAY per kid, plus the cost of diapers (that get used for everyone btw). If they were willing to sacrifice that money so that their kid would be in an interactive play/learning area to grow mentally and physically then that's great. I'm sorry that with the economy they have to sacrifice even this.
Although I agree with you guys partly, that there is no place better than the loving presence of family to care for your child........there are setbacks sometimes. Sometimes these loving family members like grandmas and aunts can't always keep up with the demands of a child, possibly their home is not even equipped for one, not that they haven't raised a child before but it's different when you're older or possibly inexperienced. Many kids are let to sit in front of the tv for the better part of the day in these situations and that's not good. It's better for a child to be either interactively learning, quietly learning with quiet toys and books or to be with other children. Grandmas house doesn't always provide the best environment for this but if mom and dad have to work and can't afford daycare there is no choice and in this case the children do "suffer" from it I believe.
For all those who are getting beat in your pocketbooks, there is a government program who will help pay for your childcare if you qualify. I'm pretty sure you have to meet poverty level requirements but look into it. I think it's called CCS or something...anyway, its a child care voucher and i'm sure your local department of health and human services can tell you about it. They will help you pay anyone, a daycare, mom, aunt, babysitter, nanny etc. so that you can work. Just trying to help.
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Staci 11-14-2008 @ 4:26PM
I think that there are just too many variables, in regards to individual family home life, to make a definitive decision on the matter. Many families are not educationally equipped in child development or child rearing to give effective care on a daily basis. Does this mean that the family member doesn't love the child and that the time spent isn't valuable? No, not necessarily. On the other hand just because I enroll my child in preschool, does it mean they will receive better care than they would receive from a family member? Again, not necessarily. I think the key here is to focus on what works best for your individual child and your individual family. Most children will absolutely benefit from the socialization and structure of preschool. However, that is if the center is one of high quality. I have two small children and am a working mother. My job allows me to bring my children to work with me because of on-site childcare...and since I am a partner in the company that sets up the on-site care for businesses, I have a large say in the quality of care that my children receive. Even though I know for a fact that my children are receiving high quality care on a daily basis, I leave them home with their grandmother at least once a week because they benefit and enjoy that atmosphere as well. It is a slow moving trend but I really do believe that on-site child care may be the answer to many parents, specifically mothers, concerns and issues with finding appropriate and affordable child care...not to mention help squash the guilt we all feel when we drop our children off each morning. Knowing that your child is happy, well cared for and developmentally stimulated...I'm sure we can agree...it's what we are all striving for.
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