Blog 6

Low-income Mothers especially low-income single Mothers struggle to find quality day-care within their budget. A childcare provider is someone who spends a great deal of time with your children each work day. This childcare provider is someone who is going to assist you in caring for, teaching, comforting and disciplining your child. Often times Mothers have an idea in mind of the perfect person to care for their child, yet unfortunately finances force them to look elsewhere. In chapter two of Chaudry’s book he discusses some of the different childcare options available to single low-income Mothers. Out of the 42 children involved in this study 39.5 % used Kin care and informal care which includes relatives, non family but acquaintances of the family and due to the closeness and relationship with the provider often times fee’s were negotiable and more flexible. Kin care however is not always available or the best option so the Mother must look to over crowded daycare centers, or licensed or non-licensed in home childcare providers. With a license daycare facility there are often times set fee’s and rules that must be followed and there is very little room for compromise. A licensed daycare also takes in a certain amount of children per adult so the chance of your child receiving one on one contact and a chance to bond with a certain provider can be limited. If you are a Mother receiving financial assistance with your childcare then you face another challenge of finding a provider that has an opening and is willing to work with your financial assistance. When seeking an in home childcare provider there are still many obstacles a mother faces. First and for most is once again finding a licensed in-home provider that the state will accept and accepting that there is usually no other adult there so you have to trust the judgments of your provider when it comes to outside activities, meals, safety precautions in their home and others who are allowed to visit the home. All of these issues weigh heavy on a mothers mind when all she is seeking to do is to work and provide for her children and while she is doing that she wants a provider that will love and care for her children the way she would. It’s a sad thing that finances dictate the quality of care that children receive and to some there is no other choice.