Blog #6

I agree that all children including low-income and poor children should be protected and given the opportunity to develop during a very critical early years of life when they are developing mentally and emotionally. However, this has become an arduous task for working mothers because their income limits their child care choices. Mothers like Annette and Brittany are example of women that are forced to find the quickest and easiest forms of child care because it is necessary if it means that they were going to have the opportunity to work. Their choices were not reflective of the best interest of the children or the most ideal arrangement because without the ability to pay, the choice of the mother is almost non-existent. Judging by the cost, it seems as though quality child care is a luxury considering it costs more than college tuition in every state for an infant.
Because quality child care by a licensed provider is not readably affordable, low-income mothers resort to care by provided by the father, older siblings, other relatives, family day care centers, nursery programs, head start, or specialized care of some sort. It is a common occurrence that when children are cared for by care-givers that are over-burdened by many other children or if they lack knowledge in child development, the television will act as the sitter. In other instances children are inadequately supervised because the care giver’s responsibility exceeds the ability to care for numerous children. Preferably, any mother would wish that their child would have individual attention and the opportunity to develop, learn and play in a safe environment but what the low-income mother prefers is not necessarily what she will receive for her child because she is unable to pay. Thus, low-income mothers find themselves using patchwork for care creating an unstable environment for the continuous development of the children.
In the Applied Research Center link, we find that children born to poor families do not receive the same quality of care compared to children who have parents that can pay. As for care providers who work for the state, they too suffer from having to wait for reimbursement thus jeopardizing the affordable care that they offer to low-income families. For some states such as California that cannot afford to oversee the child care industry makes it even more hazardous for children because if care facilities are not regularly checked then there is no incentive for the provider to be looking out for the best interest and well-being of the children in their care. Ultimately, it is the children born in poverty that are placed at even a greater risk because our government has failed to direct their attention to those who need it most, the most vulnerable population, our children.