Childcare Wanted: My Personal Struggle

Caregiving is one of Women's Fund's three short-term funding priorities. Caregiving includes childcare, one of the biggest challenges parents face. Until I had my first child last year, I did not have a personal appreciation for this aspect of our work, or a true grasp of the challenges associated with locating, securing, affording, and maintaining quality care for a child. I have been familiar with the haunting statistic: in central Indiana, there are only 24 licensed childcare spots for every 100 children under 6 whose mothers work outside the home. Not all of the 76 others need licensed care, due to other arrangements, but if they did, they aren't available. And now I know from experience.

Since I was well-aware of the challenges, I "hit the road," looking for a suitable arrangement almost as soon as I knew I was pregnant. The places my husband and I liked the most had waiting lists we needed to get on right away. And many of the places we weren't so keen on looked at us with confusion, wondering why we were contacting them so early - which drew concern from us.

I had a long list of things I was looking for, matching with our personal values and my knowledge about the industry: NAEYC accreditation, Paths to Quality rating of 3 or 4, teacher qualifications, geographic proximity and convenience, and support of the nutritional goals we had for our expectant child, among others. Not surprisingly, we never found a place that matched all of the things we were looking for, so we picked the best of our options, being promptly put on a waiting list for the first opening - when our child was to be six months old! So we were resigned to a less-than desirable option, which worked out fine for the interim period.

I share my story because my husband and I are educated people with the ability to access some of the better childcare options available, and I have "insider knowledge" about how to navigate this complicated system. For those who do not have these clear advantages, how do they fare? Are they resigned to unlicensed care, or leaving their child with the hope that nothing happens while they are gone, or worse?

After my personal experience, I am so glad Women's Fund is addressing this very issue, supporting organizations like Day Nursery Association of Indianapolis, Smiley Childcare, and many community centers which are often stationed in low-income neighborhoods and offer affordable, quality childcare for those who most need it.