Hello friends! I posted a while ago when I was in a place of despair about our childcare costs and I wanted to spread the word about Universal Childcare and how a handful of parents from r/workingmoms have decided enough is enough. We're in the beginning stages of banding together to fight for real change.
Are you interested in joining the cause? Do you know someone that would be?
Send me a DM for the info to join us on Wednesday, Feb 1 at at 8pmE//7pmC//5pmP (we have only had 2 calls to date)
Here's the super cool graphic with some information that we've made!
@phatdatlandsg This is badly needed. My wife is a SAHM and thankfully I make enough to get by in a high cost of living area, but I have no idea how others who make less do it. Something needs to be done.
@jmfaith I know, it honestly is needed SO BADLY. The stories shared already in our group break my heart-- we are all in the same boat and folks are strong, but this is too hard. Hope you can join our next call!
@phatdatlandsg Might be worth specifying in the title or body that this is focused on the US, since this is an international group (as evidenced by the recent blanket scandal).
@madison_breen Haha I can't find it now but somebody from the Netherlands posted a pic of their twins sharing a bed, and they had blankets. The dutch pediatric advice differs from the AAP one, so there was a lot of 'debate' in the comments.
@phatdatlandsg This is awesome! I left my PhD program to be a SAHM for my twins and I’m so worried about how we’ll afford daycare when it’s time. Thanks for sharing the info here.
@samleebr423 A full time nanny for our twins (3.5 months adjusted) is the same cost as our mortgage!
And so we have a part time nanny, and I work fewer hours. I'm not sure how we will swing 2X preschool when the time comes-- where we live a full time nanny is comparable in cost to putting our twins in the daycare our oldest attended. It's a great facility... but our savings is not going to keep pace with the next 5 years of childcare expenses. Ack. It hurts to think about that.
@raaven It does hurt to think about it. Especially as all the news points to a huge recession coming (or really is here??? I'm not an economist but it seems like with the cost of eggs, tech layoffs, I don't know something is afoot). Definitely here if you want to vent about the nerves.
@phatdatlandsg We moved to Spain (my home country) partly because of this.
Now our 4 year old is going to school for free and our 2 year old twins go to preschool for 236 euros a month both, including lunches. Next year at 3, they'll go to school for free too. This is in a middle of the road developed country, it's not Switzerland or Norway.
It's extremely infuriating that the wealthiest country in the world can't provide such basic service for its citizens. Not only that, how's that affecting the economy when you have so many people out of the job market as a result?
We don't have the money for childcare and preschool but there are infinite resources for defense contractors... Priorities.
It got kind of nasty in there!
I have found my anxiety go down by trying to do something around this. We've got to try, right?