Lily - Parent

“We are two working parents. We work opposite shifts to accommodate childcare. We live in a very rural area and travel eats up a large portion of our and our children's day. Finding someone to accommodate early hours and late nights was extremely difficult and if it weren't for being the health insurance carrier I would have had to find a different line of work or give up working till they were school age. My kiddos are currently 7 and 9.”

What else should lawmakers and policymakers know about your childcare/early education needs, especially as we recover from the COVID-19 crisis?

“Community is a big part of our survival right now. Which was the case as new parents too. For mothers in the field, there is always a part of them, with their child, waiting for an 'emergency' call. It effects our availability to work and our effectiveness at work.”