Fredericksburg Parent

www.fxbgadvance.com 9 The trouble finding daycare is tied to several problems. One is simple space. In our February 16 story Childcare Crisis Is Here," one parent summed up the shortage of available daycare succinctly: "My husband spent the whole morning today on the phone," Wendy Thomas, a mother of two, said after the announce- ment that Kids' Station was closing. "He called all the way around town and was told summer care (for their 6-year-old) would be extremely difficult and that we may be able to get the 4-year-old into care in the fall. But at this point, nothing is available in May." MWHC, in an attempt to help affected families, put together a spreadsheet of available child care centers in the area that did more to highlight the difficulties families face than to alle- viate their fears. "There were twenty-two providers on the list," we reported. "Of those, one is recently opened and looks to potentially have a significant number of slots. Other locations reported possible openings in May, waiting lists, or could only take certain age groups. Seven are not currently accepting new people." Families are constrained by more than open spaces, however. Cost is another factor. A recent report by JLARC, "Virginia's Self-Sufficiency Programs and the Availability and Affordability of Child Care," found that childcare is unaffordable for 85% of families with infants, 82% of families with toddlers, and 74% of families with preschoolers. The situation is even worse for low-income families. Just 2% of these families with infants and toddlers and 3% of these families with preschoolers could shoulder the costs of day- care. Sen. Tim Kaine last year pushed for more funding and support for child care through two bills: S.1354, the Child Care for Working Families Act, and S.2777, the Child Care Stabilization Act. Both bills have stalled. Not Just about 'The Children' Further complicating this story is the reality that quality childcare involves more than ensuring that children have the best possible experience growing up. There are very real impacts relating to adult employment and our overall economy. This tension has always existed, but the pandemic has exasperated the problem significantly. Though it was popular for some busi- nesses to blame post-pandemic hiring woes on people they felt had become "lazy" or dependent on "government handouts," the reality is that the cost of daycare, as well as the shortage of daycare seats, was more to blame. Writing in the Virginian Pilot, Barry Duvall and Mike Petters noted that: The crisis has disproportionately impacted women, who make up the overwhelming majority of workers who are involun- tarily working part-time due to childcare challenges. These adverse impacts on working mothers skyrocketed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, with nearly 2 million women leav- ing the labor force since the start of the pandemic. NO PANACEA Fixing the childcare problem will not solve our workforce short- age, academic achievement gaps, or family poverty alone. However, because childcare is at the nexus of all these issues, failing to address it will ensure that we struggle more than we need to in these areas. Tensions between government leaders like Kaine, who backs Big Government solutions, and more conservative organizations like the Heritage Foundation, which worry Big Government will limit family options and that free-market options are the better route to go, are sure to continue. Both sides have solid facts on their sides, and reason to be skeptical of the philosophical principles underlying their opponents' ideas. The reality is that addressing the complex issues before us will require a broad range of approaches. Perhaps we can begin by pointing to what we can agree on - many of the "high-quality" indicators outlined in the AAP study. At least then, we're pulling in the same direction on a problem that can be solved.

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