Parents, providers call out of work to mark Day Without Child Care

Thousands of parents and childcare providers across the U.S. are calling out of work or closing their doors for National Day Without Childcare, pressing lawmakers for affordable childcare and better pay for educators. NBC’s Christine Romans reports for TODAY.
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#childcare #parenting #teacher

[@ozkanokur5396]

The total amount of aid provided by the American governments to Israel exceeded 300 billion dollars. For the information of those who ask where American citizens' taxes are spent!

[@momlife8469]

Even finding qualified centers is hard. There’s a lack of availability, especially for summer care for school aged children.

[@hellobot67]

even then those are bad. I worked in them.

[@twyiatv]

Yes!!!! $800/month for my 8 week old. Ridiculous.

[@M-hc9xm]

You won't get much sympathy. That is 2000s pricing.

[@jenniferhansen3622]

If you have a spouse, maybe you could be a stay-at-home parent to the baby? Your little baby needs you. I wish you well. ❤

[@user-nq5lh1hd2z]

Why? 8 weeks old? If you don't know...but people hurt babies.... I wish you knew my friend who never could have any children. She is from another country and she has done babysitting for alot of people. I wouldn't trust any daycare in las vegas. Nope

[@LA-rc7cw]

And the rude people crawl out of the walls. I"m so sorry, I had a blow up of comments on a comment section for a basic comment I made regarding my sister in law and how she is rude to my dad about her kids coming home with wet shoes or grass stain on their clothing. I wish you well in everything you need to do for your family. These days we are all just trying to find a way to make it work. I hope you are able to keep making it swing in your direction.

[@Marie-jb9cr]

@@user-nq5lh1hd2z what to do? parents need to earn. And yes, having a child is worth all the trouble

[@jaymeleonhard3764]

Infant care is over 2,000 a month which equals 24,000 a year.

[@tiney24girl]

we need child care affordable!

[@lisapowers719]

As an individual I find it appalling, many women use schools as child care

[@kdoejohnson]

I made a decision to raise human beings. 3 of them, all adults now. Sacrifices had to be made. But I happily did. We went without a lot and my husband did a lot to make sure our babies had their mother by them all the time. When the youngest went to school full-time, then I took a part-time job. I have never regretted it for one minute.

[@LA-rc7cw]

I'm doing the same, it is a struggle and my youngest of three is 7. Its worth it, I have filled in where we needed it with evenings and weekends in retail positions. I realize that it's a sacrifice but they are worth it. I'm so glad that I have a hard working husband by my side to make it work full circle.

[@fairywingsonroses]

Good for you. I'm glad you had that option. My child's father abandoned us, so I had no choice but to put my child in childcare and go to work. I'm really tired of the "I did it, so everyone else should be able to do it too" argument. Not everyone comes from a situation where they can make "sacrifices."

[@arthurau9231]

This makes me wonder why is the conflict between Hamas and Israel more important than childcare? If Americans are going to protest, they should protest childcare and its low wages and high staff turnover.

[@NHLblkgurl]

You don’t ask WHERE’s the near 2 trillion Biden, Pelosi, and Schumer passed and printed, redefining what “infrastructure” was- saying “social infrastructure” (and govt paid daycare programs? )

[@BN-sm7pd]

One of the reasons we are moving to Canada from the U.S. very soon is because the childcare is only $10 per day there. Here it’s over $200/day for our young children!!

[@jenniferhansen3622]

Why couldn't one of you just stay home and raise the children? You might have to budget more carefully, and do without certain luxuries, but you'd save all that money from child care and your children would be raised by you.

[@BN-sm7pd]

@@jenniferhansen3622 we can’t financially do that because my husband’s job is not predictable. When he does work, he makes great incomes but when he’s off work, sometimes, it’s for long periods of time. We lost over $7000 in ONE month with our kids being sick and having to stay home from work. It’s not worth it for me to work during the winter and spring!

[@jayjacobson3057]

The pandemic gave corporate America a reason to accelerate their greed.

[@NHLblkgurl]

You actually believe that huh? (Not Joeflation ) Where Biden and Yellen being the only 2 people on the planet that ranted there’d be “no inflation”.. then OK... but it won’t be high..then OK.. it’s high, but only transitory.. to then... yeah.., OK... we have high long term inflation with no end in sight... but it’s Trump’s fault”! LOL

[@erictheisen3203]

Child care?

[@Lyndanet]

Yes

[@MDRZ10]

This is one of many issues we're dealing with today that in my opinion are just a result of an increasingly adult-centric society. I think childcare is absolutely necessary for SOME people who are trying to put food on the table or for single parents. But there are so many people sending their kids to childcare just to enable their two-income household and wealthy lifestyle, which is increasing the demand for quality childcare centers, which is driving the cost up for everyone else. We need to prioritize raising our own kids and make childcare the exception when we need help, not the default.

[@fairywingsonroses]

The problem with this mindset is that the reality of being a parent is far more complex. Even in the 1950's, many women didn't want to stay home with the kids all day. Even if a family could easily afford to keep one parent home, that doesn't necessarily mean that it's what's best for that family. I find being a stay at home mom to be very isolating and depressing. I like going to work (even if it's just part time). I NEED a job for my own mental health and well being, and I'm actually a better, more attentive parent to my child when I get that break. This is in addition to the fact that I don't like the idea of being completely dependent on a man's love and support to have money and the things that I need. I know more than a few women, including my own mother, who were left high and dry when their relationships with their husbands fell apart. My mom had no education and no job experience. She had to start from scratch and has worked a job that she hates for the last 20 years just to get by. She likely won't ever be able to retire. Even the local church wouldn't help her because divorce is a dirty word. Having one parent stay home is good in theory, but the reality is that there are many reasons why both parents work and why both parents probably should work beyond just the basic need/want of added income.

[@MDRZ10]

@@fairywingsonroses thanks for sharing this perspective - I see your point and agree with a lot of what you're saying. And the experience of feeling isolated (and even depressed if you're inclined towards that) is 100% real. If you decide to have kids and unexpectedly find that having a mom/dad raise them full time is not something you can stay well doing, I absolutely support whatever alternative is in the best interest of the kid. Ideally, I still think it's in the best interest of kids to be raised by mom or dad if you can, and the child development research shows this is especially true ages 0-3. I'm just all about whatever is most child-centered. For you it sounds like working part time was what you felt was best for your kids. I can tell this was an intentional decision for you, which I applaud. Also, I sympathize with your mom - when either partner is not committed, that's detrimental. Broken homes lead to so many downstream family and societal issues. And it saddens me to hear she was unable to receive support from a church simply because she was divorced. Definitely not how my church does it. I know several divorced people in my congregation who need help making ends meet, and the church helps financially. Best wishes to you and your mom!

[@rmzzz76]

When family planning, cost of childcare was a major consideration before having children... Daycare centers price like everything else based on supply and demand, what the market allows them to charge and that is what the cost of the service should be. I agree the care workers should be paid more. But the ask here is to pay workers more and charge less, basically asking the Government to get involved in controlling profits of private industry because parents didn't consider the cost... You can't do that in a free market system, daycares will just close when owners realize they can make more money elsewhere.... The government can open public child care centers that compete with private as they do with K-12 education, that would be the appropriate option here.

[@norviliaetienne222]

If women stayed home with their babies, and left daycare for the people who actually needed it I.e. single moms/widows, we wouldn’t need so much child care services. Take care of your own children instead of putting them in the institution of day care where they don’t get close to the amount of care they would if you were the one caring for them…

[@ShayKMBR]

So... She may potentially fully rely on a husband that may be financially abusive? And most people can't live on a single income... But okay

[@norviliaetienne222]

@@ShayKMBR it's called budgeting and it's a lot more doable than it seems... also make a good choice for your husband and be one in all things, including finances

[@ShayKMBR]

@@norviliaetienne222 Sure but the reality is, some people fall for the wrong ones. It's not easy for a woman to just find a man, solely rely on him for everything, and pop out babies, allow her body to disintegrate "for the children" and then be financially stuck with all that. Her only way out, if she wants to be self reliant whatsoever is getting a job, and there is more chance of abuse when a woman solely relies on a man. There has to be a way for her to get out of a bad situation if she's in one and it's too dangerous to just tell women to rely on someone else other than themselves. Also, not fair to the man if he wants to leave an abusive situation because he may feel stuck and forced to care for a family. How about affordable childcare and if the mother can manage to afford to stay at home then great?

[@annat6249]

It doesn’t add up. So the parents who pay the child care said it is too expensive while the child care said they get paid too little. So what is the solution that make both party happy? Let me guess, the government to provide some assistance through tax other people more. A little more responsible and cheaper approach is don’t make more kids than you can afford.

[@joyRM8]

And that is why I know so many ppl that have decided not to have kids.

[@gregorbos]

People with kids expect single and childless workers to cover their work duties. They get scads of time off and a whole 3 month vacation with each pregnancy. Fed up.

[@jaymeleonhard3764]

You are funny

[@joyRM8]

Vacation?! If you chose not to have kids i respect you for it because trust me its no vacation.

[@jenniferhansen3622]

That's another reason why I was a stay-at-home mom to my children. I never had to burden a boss, or other employees, with me needing time off if my child was sick or whatnot. I was home to raise them every day. My husband and I decided a long time ago that we would never have a kid unless we could afford for me to stay home with no assistance of any kind.

[@jenniferhansen3622]

​@@joyRM8It's the hardest job you'll ever love. 😊

[@miaant1928]

I went back to a physical job one week after a C-section. Most Americans don't get any paid leave 🙄

[@elenarewd9299]

How much is your child’s health and safety worth? 24% of your income is a steal! You could stay home and lose all of your income, but parents make choices to use most of it instead.

[@Marie-jb9cr]

Oh My,,, because of this more and more adults might choose to be childless, including anti-immigrants,,,, bad for our future generation, bad for economy... geeeezz 😭😭😭

[@sakinastraveldiary4562]

Don't have kids if you can't afford them. It's an easy and simple solution.

[@hgoodman9]

I disagree. I think women need to have kids early and be married when they do so that way they can stay at home with them and not have to worry about childcare costs. This way the public doesn't have to carry the burden of paying for everyone's kid

[@wendys6438]

That's very pro-choice of you. Don't forget to vote blue and get back your rights!

[@fairywingsonroses]

What happens if you have a bunch of kids and then lose your job, or get really sick, or your partner/spouse dies? Then what? You just give the kids back because you can't afford them? What happens if your child is born with additional medical needs or a disability that requires round the clock care? What happens if you have a bunch of kids because your religion told you to (I was raised in such a religion, and they literally did view not being able to afford children as a valid excuse not to have them)? The idea of not having children that you can't afford is great in theory, but there are a lot of things that can happen that can make children unaffordable overnight, even for people who otherwise would be able to afford them. There is also a big cultural push to have more babies and expand population growth for religious/economic reasons. Given all of these factors, don't you think it would be better if we just gave people the benefit of the doubt and helped them out?

[@hgoodman9]

@@fairywingsonroses life insurance.

[@user-qu8lt3hf7e]

Republicans fault

[@victoriabardsley8097]

Do people not think about costs like this before bringing a child into this world?

[@carolinegarza8285]

Two words: abortion bans

[@KYLOWW]

Either dont have kids or make sure your in a spot where the mother stays home while the father works.

[@hgoodman9]

Yep.

[@hgoodman9]

I think women need to have kids early and be married when they do so. That way they can stay at home with them and not have to worry about childcare costs. This way the public doesn't have to carry the burden of paying for everyone's kid. Childcare sucks no matter how good it is and it's a poor substitute for having them at home with the mother while the father works.

[@jenniferhansen3622]

That's what my husband and I have done. No assistance of any kind. It's the best way. My kids are grown now. 😊

[@joyRM8]

This would only make sense if child care is more than what you make. In most cases you make alot more working than the cost of day care. It just should not cost so much

[@jenniferhansen3622]

@@joyRM8 I realize not everybody wants to do it, & not everyone wants to make sacrifices in order to afford it, but there's a lot of value in a stay-at-home mom. My husband and I decided years ago that we would never have a kid unless we could afford to have me stay home with them. We both had stay-at-home moms and there's something very comforting about coming home from school and having your mom there. It also makes it easy to have lots of family time. I personally would just never want to bring children into the world and then not be the one who is raising them full-time. So it's not just about how much daycare costs, it's about priorities. I understand that many people would have to make sacrifices in order to afford it, but I still think it's the best choice for families, if they can do it.

[@juicysmith38235]

What does having kids "early" equate to? Usually when you're young you have a limited career and resources.

[@hgoodman9]

@jenniferhansen3622 couldn't have said it better. My wife gave a six figure job because the kids are more important.

[@wafflewafflegod]

Nothing is stopping these same dissatisfied parents from opening a childcare service. 🤷🏻‍♀️ They should pay for the consequences of their actions. They didn’t have to have kids. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@emilywells7415]

You all voted for it. DONALD TRUMP 2024

[@celica9098]

Society isn’t meant to have both parents working. Man should work while mom stays at home. Yes, I get that the cost of living makes it hard to get by with just one income, so choose your man wisely women. For the single mothers, find a way to get your parents to live with you or you with them. And for the single mothers without family to help, then I’m sorry but this is just a sad consequence.

[@WhiteisrightNationwhite]

Then pay for it out of your own pocket and quit asking the American Taxpayers to subsidize more failed programs.

[@WhiteisrightNationwhite]

You expecting others to care for your Children is the problem. If you can't afford it stay at home and raise your Children...WHATEVER IT TAKES, RAISE THEM!