When my firstborn was two years old, I discovered a lovely little child care center that was about a 10 minute walk from my home. It was perfect: it had the hours that worked for us, it had Spanish-speaking educators, and fed my child home-cooked meals. It also had an outdoor space in the back! (If you live in NYC, you know how precious that can be!) At the time, I was working in Manhattan, so I would have to drop my kid off and start my 50 minute commute. Mrs. Charles, the director, would always check on me, and introduce me to the other parents. I still am friends with some of the moms that I met there– and my kid is now 13! I still send Mrs. Charles text messages for holidays; and my son still speaks fondly of Mrs. Charles and the food she cooked and how it was so delicious. 

Mrs. Charles and the rest of the teachers didn’t only take care of my son, they also took care of me… checking in at drop-off and pick-up and offering a kind word as I probably looked exhausted after a long day.

Anyone who has ever had to drop their kid off with a child care provider knows, the people that take care of our kids can end up becoming part of our family.

As a mom who has needed child care to be able to work, I know all too well how important the people who take care of our kids are, and I want them to be able to take care of their own families. Unfortunately, for most child care workers, the math ain’t mathin’: According to recent research conducted by Conrell, child care workers have a median wage of just $32,900 compared to the average that is $54,300 – over a $20,000 difference! 

Child care doesn’t work for parents if it is not working for child care providers— and the truth is that across the country, and certainly in New York state, so many child care providers are making poverty wages and many have been unfortunately forced to leave a profession they love in pursuit of higher paying jobs that pay more and often come with health insurance, retirement benefits and more. In New York State, Twelve percent of child care workers in New York State fall below the poverty line. 

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To be clear, parents’ and providers’ lives are intertwined: if parents cannot find child care, they cannot work. In fact, 53 percent of parents interviewed in  “The Status of Child Care Across New York State” said they turned down paid work outside the home due to child care. Providers are leaving the workforce due to low wages, which impacts the number of available child care slots parents can access. 

The bottom line when it comes to child care: We are in this together: Parents and providers! 

A child care solution for New York families must address both: child care has to be affordable, high quality and accessible to families, and child care workers must be paid living, family-sustaining wages. We cannot address one side without the other.  

 Lawmakers need to know the child care challenges that parents and providers face across New York State.  If you would like to share your story, click here.