Florida households want greater than patchwork baby care

So the brand new numbers are in and it’s not trying nice. In response to the annual Children Depend information launched yesterday, Florida ranks thirty first in baby well-being and lack of high-quality, reasonably priced baby care is enjoying into that.

I don’t learn about you, however I’m not stunned. I’m FEELING the kid care battle this summer season. 

Simply yesterday I needed to decide my kiddo up throughout a piece name as a result of her summer season care solely goes till 1pm. I needed to then drive her (whereas additionally making an attempt to take part in a piece name as my child tried to excitedly inform me about water day in school) to different household care within the afternoon. It’s a frazzled mess of patch work care that leaves us each exhausted and completed earlier than the day is even completed. And we’re one of many fortunate ones?! A minimum of we discovered some baby care. 

Sadly this isn’t only a summer season downside. 

The Children Depend examine discovered that 13% of kids delivery to age 5 in Florida lived in households during which somebody stop, modified, or refused a job due to issues with baby care. To not point out that this price is steep even when you could find it. A latest 2022 by Little one Care Conscious of America discovered that toddler baby care prices in Florida exceeded school tuition. Sure, you learn that proper. That implies that in Florida it prices extra to ship your child to baby care than to varsity. 

**ADD YOUR NAME to induce your Florida State Representatives to place ahead options to resolve the kid care disaster in our state.

If dad and mom and caregivers can’t work to cowl fundamental family bills, that hurts youngsters, households, and our financial system. 

The Florida Coverage Institute estimated that failings of the baby care market might price Florida an estimated $6.6 billion in misplaced earnings, which comes to five% of the nation’s misplaced earnings, productiveness, and income. And whereas households and the financial system are feeling the strain, so are early educators who’re one of many lowest paid industries within the nation regardless of doing an important work of caring for youngsters. Little one care as it’s now isn’t working for anybody. 

Options are doable and it’s time for our Florida State Leaders to get to work and assist remedy the kid care disaster.