"kilikini" > fnord
:

> Saerah Gray wrote:
>>
>> The thing is, where do you draw the line? If you have a small child,
>> and are on welfare, and cannot support yourself on the minimum wage
>> jobs available to you, and certainly would not be able to afford
>> childcare even if you could afford shelter and food and clothing,
>> what the hell are you supposed to do?
>
> Personally, I think the government should provide free child care in
> cases like this. Ultimately, it would probably be a cheaper solution
> than welfare. There would be no excuse for parents to stay at home
> unless they had a disability preventing them from working. It would
> have to be a heavily monitored program, but this would mean employment
> of child care workers, pre-school teachers, social workers,
> psychologists - most of, if not all, would have to have a college
> degree. Folks going to school would help the economy. Providing jobs
> would stimulate the economy. Facilities would have to be built,
> giving jobs back to unemployed construction workers.
>
> I don't know. It's something I've been thinking about for a few
> years. I know so many single moms who had to stay at home and go on
> welfare because they didn't have family around to watch the children
> and they couldn't afford the $400 a week for child care. So, they got
> HUD housing, food stamps, welfare and free medical and were able to
> sustain themselves.
>
> Anyway, I'll continue lurking in this thread now. :~)
>

Many states do offer subsidized childcare. The problem is, once you are
making a certain amount above the poverty level, you no longer qualify.
When my ex-husband and I were married, we had to work opposite shifts
because we could not afford childcare, and made too much money to
qualify for the subsidized programs. I don't qualify now. When Ellie is
out of school, I spend about 500 a month on childcare. That's a third of
my take-home pay. If she were not school aged, I wouldn't be able to
make ends meet at all, and would still be living with my mother.

Another problem is that many men do not pay child support for their
children, leaving the burden on the mother, and all too often, the
state.

--
Saerah

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