The Wandering Librarian

The New York Times recently published an the article linked on the right titled White House Assesses Ways to Persuade Women to Have More Children. And if this article is any indication, the administration is truly missing the mark on supporting the creation of young families!

From Medals for Mothers to classes on how to track your menstrual cycle, the 47th Presidential Administration is avoiding the obvious answers on how to help families grow. My husband and I stopped short of having multiple children simply because of the cost and impact on my career. However, there are real ways that other developed countries help to mitigate these factors successfully. There are ways we can keep families both working and growing (if they so choose).

Accessible and Affordable Childcare

I have mentioned before that my family paid over $1000 per month for one child in daycare, and we were lucky to have that spot. Weeks were spent agonizing over whether or not we would get into a center and what quality it would be. Many families who live in high cost of living areas pay even more and wait even longer for childcare. They may have to split children up between centers or drive long distances in the opposite direction of their commute to find a suitable placement. I know families who have stopped after just one or two children because of the daunting costs of placing a child in care or the fear they would not find a spot for the next child. For dual career families, the ability to place children in trustworthy and affordable care reduces a significant barrier to parenting more children.

High Quality Public Education

Let’s face it, public education has been under attack for decades in the United States under the guise of “school choice”. While some states have implemented cross district school choice, many red states have undercut public schools with voucher programs. These voucher programs siphon funds from under served students at public schools to fund public education. While the idea of school choice sounds appealing, it leaves behind children and families with under performing public schools. For families that want the best education possible for their children, the lack of a quality public option may limit family size.

Parental Leave

I’m going to do something shocking and actually praise Donald Trump for getting something right. During his previous administration, he implemented paid parental leave for the Federal workforce. My husband stayed home for twelve weeks while still being paid when our daughter was born! I, a municipal employee, had to go back after only six weeks of unpaid leave. We need to expand paid leave for more people and for longer periods. Workers, especially women, need to have their jobs protected when they have children and take time to bond with them.

Better Pay

Finally, we come to the issue of pay. Not many families can survive on a single income in our current economy. If we want families to have the choice to have a parent stay home, we need to have the government implement policies which support better pay for workers. If families can earn enough on a single income, parents will have a real choice in how they raise their families.