What to Consider When Covering Child Care and Its Stress on American Families

Child care throughout the world has been a nightmare over the past couple of years, but in the United States, things are reaching a critical mass. With young children still mostly unable to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and inflation and the baby formula shortage complicating matters, parents are finding themselves with few options to turn to in regard to their young kids.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) says only about 7 percent of one’s annual income should be spent on child care. However, the current reality in the United States is that child care comprises anywhere from 10 percent to 20 percent of someone’s budget – and that they are working overtime to cover those costs.

How did we get here?

Here are some valuable points to consider when covering the issue of child care (or lack thereof) in the United States and the stress it imposes on families.

DEMOGRAPHICS REALLY MATTER

In order to cover this correctly, reviewing your reader demographics is important. Why? For one thing, women of color are disproportionately likely to be single parents, significantly affecting the avenues through which they can afford child care. The average American paid close to $15,000 for child care in 2021, and will likely pay more in 2022. Household income severely affects the health and stress level of the space in which the children are being raised. 

EVERY STATE IS MARKEDLY DIFFERENT IN ITS POLICY APPROACH

Aside from the seemingly obvious things such as high or low sales taxes, the costs of food, formula, clothing, and babysitting, each state has variable amounts of resources. Figuring out which states have which resources is important for the accuracy of your work. For example, New York offers a substantial amount of assistance for struggling families with children, including food assistance, money and cash assistance, bill and utility assistance, housing vouchers, as well as health and social services for families with low income. States with Republican-controlled legislatures and representatives in Congress are likely to have fewer resources available. 

KNOW WHERE THE UNITED STATES STANDS ON THE GLOBAL STAGE

The United States is actually very far behind on child care in comparison to other nations. Paid parental leave for both parents is still in development, and the United States pales in comparison on the amount of time it allows for maternity leave. Other countries offer subsidized daycares and options for families to return to work once the child has aged, which the United States does not offer, and parents often find themselves having to choose between a job that just barely helps make ends meet and spending time with their children. When compared to child care plans in other countries such as Finland, for example, the United States’ offerings are sorely lacking.

UNDERSTANDING WHY CHILD CARE IS SUCH A MESS

 Child care is an intersectional issue, and the United States is lagging on several points that would immediately make the state of child care better in the country. For one, the United States lacks a universal healthcare system and instead has a patchwork of insurance networks that create logistical headaches for getting almost anything treated, which leaves finances surrounding caring for a child’s health if they fall ill uncertain. The United States offers no free college education or subsidized high-quality public education, so more money is required to educate children in the country, making the decision between working a paying job and spending time with their loved ones even more agonizing for parents considering their child’s future.

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF COVID-19

After COVID-19 largely reshaped the American workplace and put families back home with their children, many of the nation’s employers are now asking Americans to leave those spaces and head back to the office. There have been several significant consequences. 

For one: many families realized they relied on publicly subsidized programs, like public school, to feed and watch their children while they completed a workday. With that unavailable, many parents were forced to complete their workday while their child completed schooling in the next room, as well as to find the money for extra meals, materials, and broadband coverage so that their child could attend online school. With very little government help and inflation rising, parents are more in debt than ever before. Those with children who were under the age of five during most of the COVID-19 pandemic found that their children were unable to get vaccinated, essentially precluding families with young kids from re-entering society efficiently –  including to their jobs. 

With the baby formula shortage still raging, it may seem as if the child care crisis will not change or get any better; but reporting on specific policies that the United States is lacking will gradually shift the conversation and bring greater focus to these suffering parents. Armed with these basic pieces of the puzzle, journalists can bring greater attention to the ballooning problem of child care in the United States.