Blog # 6 - Child Care Dilemmas

The range of childcare that low income mothers use is very wide. We saw in one of the videos where mothers were allowed to bring their infants to work with them. We read in the book of Brittany, who needed to find childcare for her infant daughter Bethany. She used a male family member and paid him $95 per week. He came to her home and stayed there with Bethany. He thought this was good pay because he didn’t know what people paid for this type of care in a childcare facility. He started out doing well at first. But then he started showing up late, slacking off, and not caring for her the way he should (Chaudry, ppg 29-30). So she had to stop using him. Then, since her sister was not working at the time, she started using her. This also did not last long. Brittany needed to travel long distances to training for her new job, which meant she had to leave her daughter with a sitter for longer periods of time. This naturally meant more cost for the services provided. The longest period of consistent child care Brittany had for Bethany with one provider was almost three years.

A mother’s idea of “perfect” childcare is where the child gets the attention he or she needs, is treated fairly, and is not abused. Additionally, the child is in a happy atmosphere that is up or above the codes set by the government regarding childcare centers. I noticed in the arc report that, in the State of Alabama, there are rules in place regulating the proper operation of childcare facilities. However, at the same time, this same state has exemptions or loopholes that facilities can use to get past these rules and regulations. That means that parents using these facilities run the risk of getting substandard care of their children.