cost for the state of Maryland, which loses millions of dollars in tax revenue each year due to absence and turnover solely due to childcare issues, is approximately $2.34 billion per year in lower wages, lower spending, and lower tax revenue. The hit to workplace productivity is especially brutal for women, who historically have borne responsibility for coordinating childcare and whose careers or workforce development suffer the most. Women may reduce or eliminate work hours, use vacation hours as leave when children are sick, forgo important continuing education opportunities, become less productive members of the workforce, or leave it entirely when childcare is not accessible or affordable. Shara Rung is a special educator in the county. She and her husband planned their pregnancy, researching childcare centers well before her due date. They found that spots for their baby weren't available before the expiration of her maternity leave. In addition, Shara discovered that the cost of infant childcare would be $400-$600 per week. "Even with years of experience and a Master's degree, this meant that over half of my take-home pay would be "eaten up" by childcare costs," Shara told us. The family looked for in-home care centers. While these were less expensive, they were difficult to find and required commutes of more than 30 minutes each way, unfeasible with the Rungs’ work schedule. Shara explored finding a nanny, but the costs were $25 per hour to start or $1000 per week. Shara was forced to leave her dream position at an excellent school. Ultimately, she renovated her basement to accommodate an au pair. The cost of care almost exactly equals her take-
home pay but allows her to work part-time, continue her career, and keep her health insurance. Shara found a way to balance her child's care and her career, a situation many other families cannot afford. “Too many Maryland families face a childcare crisis - forcing parents to choose between their careers and the early and critical education of their children. That’s why we’re working at the State House and in the community to bring all State leaders working in this space to the table to collaborate on a long-term solution,” said Maryland Senator Sarah Elfreth. She’s working alongside other legislators and policymakers to connect stakeholders like the Maryland State Department of Education, childcare professionals, early childhood education experts, state regulatory agencies, county and city government representatives, corporations, and parents. Maryland Comptroller Brooke Lierman's Office of the Comptroller 2023 State of the Economy Report notes that between 2019 and 2021, 2% of women ages 16-24 and 25- 34 dropped out of the labor force in Maryland, compared with 1% and 0.4% nationally. The report shows that the lack of spots and the high cost of child care are a deterrent to allowing parents to return to the workforce. "Because of the pay gap... it is often a woman who ends up staying home," Lierman said. "That means that we have fewer people in our labor force, and it means that our private sector can't grow as fast as it could be. This is an issue that our economy depends on getting right." Early childhood education and childcare centers are as concerned about Maryland's childcare crisis as are parents,
20 | THE MOTHERLODE
Powered by FlippingBook