As Pandemic-Era Childcare Funding Ends, Many Families Could Suffer – Time
By Solcyre Burga
When Paige Connell, the head of an operations startup based in Massachusetts, moved during the pandemic, the most arduous task by far was finding a daycare center that would take all three of her children under the age of 6. Her search proved futile, forcing her family to pay for a mix of options, including daycare for two of her children, while hiring an au pair and nanny to help with at-home care for her youngest.
Connell, who is now a mother of four, says that years later, finding adequate childcare remains cumbersome. While her two eldest children are now in public school, she still spends about $5,000 a month for daycare, part-time at home care, and after school programs. “It is our most expensive bill,” she notes. "It far exceeds our mortgage and is our biggest financial burden at the moment.”
Connell’s story is on par with that of parents across the country. Families spend about 27% of their income on childcare, according to a Care.com report. And more than 50% of Americans live in a childcare desert, meaning there is a lack of available childcare within their census tract…
In response to pandemic childcare aid ending, at least 14 states—including Alaska, Illinois, and Massachusetts, among others—have begun to make investments in childcare with state funds.