Child care problems skyrocketed under COVID. Women paid the price. - USA Today
By Matt Wynn
It’s still January, and Kristy Anaya has already used up all 21 hours of vacation time available to her so far this year.
She missed work again on Thursday to care for her three-year-old son, Xavier, who was kicked out of his third day care since March.
Child care was a problem before coronavirus for the single mother of two living in Chandler, Arizona. During the pandemic, it’s been a nightmare. Day cares operating at reduced staffing are quick to pull the trigger when Xavier acts out, said Anaya, 42.
"I'm in the 'I'm not sure what I'm going to do right now' phase,” she said. "Without the child care, how am I supposed to go to work?"
Anaya is one of hundreds of thousands of moms wrestling with one huge side effect of the coronavirus crisis.
A USA TODAY analysis of new Census data shows that Americans missed more work than ever before due to child care problems in 2020, and the burden was shouldered almost exclusively by women.