Making part-time day care a viable option would not only be cheaper, it would let families maximize the time they spend together, rather than being forced by economics to plunk their kids into full-time care, and then work full time to pay for it. That would be better for the kids and for society.
The details of the subsidy would need to be worked out. A direct subsidy of child-care establishments would engender a huge bureaucracy to handle the money and monitor the quality of the providers. A simple tax break would provide the largest benefits to those who least need it. Perhaps a tax credit for child-care costs is the answer — minimal bureaucracy, maximum targeted effect.
Regardless, the current situation strikes me as untenable. In an era where both parents increasingly need to work in order to maintain their standard of living, in an era when families are spread across the country as jobs and temperament dictate, in an era when the gap between rich and poor is growing ever wider, providing affordable options for working parents would boost productivity and improve family outcomes.
Article comments
1 - DrPat
I grew up in a home with more than 10 children, in which Dad worked and Mom stayed home. No accident, my folks set out to have a dozen kids, and worked to get themselves in a situation where they could afford to do it on one income.
In my own family, my spouse and I both worked, but shared a home with another couple, one of whom worked at home -- so my kids had that same at-home parent support. We made that decision for the same reason, to allow us to give our kids what they need for healthy development, and yet have the income.
There ARE other options, including sharing your home with a stay-at-home relative (the old extended-family benefit that so many are missing now), finding a job that can be done from home, using flex-time so that the parenting time is shared, etc.
Finding a way to care for the children you choose to have is as much a responsibility of child-rearing as making sure you can feed, clothe and shelter them.