What is causing the childcare shortage and how is it affecting families?

Low wages are a major cause of the child care shortage in America today, which has forced some parents out of work and even bankrupted family budgets.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that as of 2021, the median annual salary for a caregiver was $27,680 with an average hourly wage of $13.31.

Many people in the childcare profession have shared the internal challenges that arise from the lack of funding they receive. Due to the pressure of creating a successful course of education on such a limited budget, some schools are reducing the number of actual school days, leaving Friday as a professional development day for teachers. The impetus is an increase in job applications, with the hope that a focus on teacher career development will attract more people into the childcare field.

How do families provide childcare?

In accordance with New York Times, working parents of all income levels struggle to find affordable childcare for their children. Elizabeth Sperber, an assistant professor who lives in Denver, told The Times that she and her husband, a middle school teacher, signed up for eight child care wait lists before they were all turned away. Their desperation to care for their 1-year-old son led them to look for babysitters in a competitive market. They now share a nanny with another family; a nanny earns an hourly rate of $32 an hour, resulting in them spending 23% of their household’s pre-tax income on caring for a single child.

Regarding childcare, Sperber observed, “Realizing how expensive everything is, and then the instability of it, the cost, material and psychological?” she asked. “It really makes you wonder if it’s the right thing to do to expand your family.”

Article in today reports that 63% of parents said childcare has become the most expensive ever.

Lynette M. Frago, CEO of Child Care Aware, said, “Parents continue to face the challenge of finding and affording quality child care,” adding that “reliable, long-term government support is needed to make child care affordable for families . »

According to the report made Childcare Awarefamilies found that childcare costs were higher than their housing or health insurance.