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I Showed Up “Too Late” for Child Care
A working mom shares how her toddler's child care center, now operating on a first‑come, first‑served basis due to staffing shortages, reflects a larger crisis that only bold congressional action can fix.
Editorial Manager
Sharon Bell is the Editorial Manager at ZERO TO THREE.Sharon has a journalism degree from Flagler College and boasts over a decade of experience managing digit…
Last week I showed up at my toddler’s child care center at 7:34 AM and was turned away at the door.
The center had already reached capacity. Staffing shortages meant they could not care for more children that day and they were forced to implement a first‑come, first‑served model. This means I’m a full‑time working parent who has been rolling the dice every morning to see if my child has a safe place to go.
This is not a backup arrangement. This is my child’s actual school. The place where we pay hundreds of dollars each week to ensure she has a place to learn, play, grow and feel safe.
But the center is not to blame. I have spoken with the regional director. I see the staff are doing everything they can, but they are burned out. The Director position has been vacant since the last one was let go for hitting a child. And since then, the center has received two more violations for being out of ratio. They can’t keep staff, but I don’t blame them for leaving a job that pays too little and demands too much.
These are the most important years for brain development, but unlike K–12 schools that have public funding and pay teachers an average of 120% more, early childhood programs are left hanging, and families like mine are the ones paying the price.
What is quality child care?
In the past three months, my daughter has had four different teachers.
That is one new adult every few weeks trying to build trust, create stability and support a room full of toddlers learning to share and use their words.
It is no surprise she has regressed. She used to be fully toilet trained. Now she refuses to poop on the potty and insists on wearing pull‑ups again. She is clingier, whinier, more reactive. Maybe it’s just normal toddler behavior—but maybe it’s not.
This is not just my story. It is not even just this center’s story. This is what a broken system looks like. Families are desperate for care. Educators are desperate for support. Parents, teachers and administrators are running on fumes.
This is what a broken system looks like. Families are desperate for care. Educators are desperate for support.
We deserve better. We need to stop pretending this is an isolated problem.
High‑quality child care supports the whole economy. It gives parents the ability to work. It gives children the start they deserve. It only works when the people doing this essential work are respected, supported and paid like the professionals they are.
Families like mine are exhausted. We arrive early. We rearrange our lives. We do everything we can to make it work.
We shouldn’t have to fight so hard for something so basic.
Please urge your Members of Congress to support and pass legislation like the Child Care for Working Families Act.
This law would cap child care costs at 7 % of a family’s income and boost wages and supports for educators. It would also invest in care infrastructure to expand provider capacity and ensure workforce stability.
