Care crisis in the United States

 I do think there is a care crisis in the United States. This crisis has been exasperated during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What is this care crisis and how might we mitigate it?

A couple of years ago, a friend who is a teacher told me a story about a ten-year-old girl who was responsible for caring for her siblings while her mom worked at night. This, as we all know, is not ideal and could even be dangerous for that child. The friend told me the story as she discussed the young child's inability to keep up with her school work. 

Lately, in pandemic days, families have struggled to work and care for their children who are learning from home via tech devices. This struggle highlighted how many families see schools as places for child care so they can work and earn a living. 

The exhorbitant costs of childcare also cripple many young families who pay large percentages of their income for childcare. I know about that because my husband and I paid a lot of dollars in childcare for many years so we could work to support our family. Some families end up choosing subpar childcare options in order to survive, and this puts those children at risk of unsafe care and also lost potential because when children have good care, they thrive. 

Further, now that I retired early due in part to COVID-19 health threats and to care more for my elderly parents, I am seeing the needs in society for better elder care. Are many elderly distanced from their families because those families could not afford to care for them? 

I'm not sure what the answers are for this crisis, but I think we have to consider the issue with depth, good research, and life-changing policies and laws. 

What questions can lead this effort?

  1. What kind of care is best for young children?
  2. Should families with children five and under receive a hefty stipend that they can use to support optimal childcare via a combination of at-home and hired quality care?
  3. Should families with elderly relatives also receive stipends and/or tax breaks to support quality care for those family members?
  4. Should families with physically or mentally disabled members receive the kind of support they need to afford quality care for those family members?
  5. How can we support fair wages and just working conditions so that families are able to care well for their loved ones? 
  6. How do we educate the public about what good care looks like? How do we create community supports for care?
  7. Where is there evidence of good, quality care in society, and where is this kind of care lacking? 
I do think that the United States can uplift the care quotient in positive, coordinated, helpful ways that uplift all of our lives? How can we do this? What matters in this regard? I'm curious.