Child Care in America: Parents' Perspectives

From March 10-14, 44 parents from 31 states arrived in Washington, DC to share their personal child care stories with policymakers. And there are millions of stories just like these that are out there. NACCRRA estimates there are 11 million children under the age of 5 in some sort of child care arrangement as their parents go to work. On average, children of working mothers spend 36 hours a week in child care settings. Two of the stories profiled are from fathers. Three are from grandparents. Several are good-news stories about mothers who were able to get professional training, jobs or college degrees once they found stable, affordable childcare. Five profiles tell of children who died in unregulated or poorly supervised childcare settings. Connecticut is one state profiled, with a mother who found herself facing a new set of challenges after her husband abandoned her and their 18-month-old daughter. Through the Child Care Subsidy program in Manchester, she was able to secure licensed, affordable, high-quality child care.