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Elliot Haspel Profile picture
@ehaspel
Aug 29, 2020 • 3 tweets • 4 min read • Read on X
Child care slots were already scarce before the pandemic. Now, finding open spots is like finding a needle in a haystack that's on fire. I'm in @MotherlyMedia explaining why, and what parents can do about it (spoiler alert: call Congress!)

#SaveChildCare

mother.ly/news/childcare…
CC: @DanWuori @ChildCareRelief @SCActionNetwork @ChildCareAware @CAPEarlyEd @firstfiveyears @nwlc @CLASP_DC @NAEYC @KGeee @michelleinbklyn @RaiseUpECE
(and thanks to @BPC_Bipartisan for their recent survey that shone a spotlight on the ongoing parent struggle around locating child care -- if you haven't seen the results yet, check them out here: bipartisanpolicy.org/blog/child-car… )

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More from @ehaspel

Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Sep 4, 2023
One of the greatest differences between the U.S. and nations that lead the pack on family outcomes is an understanding that, as the Nordic Council of Ministers says, "the well-being of children is strongly linked to that of their parents."
In the U.S., we often segment out the child from the parents. Think about the way that we focus on 'school readiness' by what the kid can do w/o considering factors like housing stability. We want a playground for the kid w/little consideration for how parents can socialize.
Similarly, until pretty recently, America has had very little to say about how working conditions, schedule predictability, and job quality impact parental well-being. That conversation is much more sophisticated (and has policy teeth) in many peer nations.
Read 6 tweets
Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Feb 27, 2023
🧵Ok, we need to talk about this. We've reached the point where in a well-intentioned attempt to do ANYTHING about child care, the administration is taking an action that may be actively counterproductive. Let me explain.

nytimes.com/2023/02/27/us/…
First off, I have SO MANY QUESTIONS about how this is going to work. Options include "company child-care centers near construction sites or new plants, paying local child-care providers to add capacity at an affordable cost for workers, directly subsidizing workers’ care costs"
Ok, but you realize we have a MASSIVE child care educator shortage right now, yes? Do any of these companies need to ensure educators get a competitive wage? What happens if their workers just end up on waiting lists? Doesn't feel fully thought out.

nytimes.com/2022/10/13/us/…
Read 13 tweets
Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Feb 27, 2023
Just like community centers, I strongly believe local government should set these up!

Some do. I went to an "open center" in Helsinki, and it was simple and lovely.

(Indoor options do exist in the U.S., but usually the hours suck or they're expensive)

foreignersinfinland.fi/post/everyone-…
(My Helsinki experience: )

None of this has to be complicated. There are enough public buildings around -- elementary school gyms could easily be used on the weekends -- and local gvm't could partner with volunteer orgs, faith communities etc. to staff them. Toys, coffee machine, you're set.
Read 4 tweets
Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Oct 12, 2022
🧵I had a fascinating experience today at this Helsinki playground that reinforced for me just how backwards the U.S. gets its family policy.

(And no, this isn't gonna be another 'if only America was Finland' thread) Image
I went with my daughters to attend a free arts & crafts activity at the children's center adjoining the playground (many Finnish playgrounds have these, and there are different staffed activities every day).

A Finnish father was there with his delightful 15-month-old son.
We struck up a conversation and it emerged that he was on his third day of paternity leave. His wife had been taking care of their son before going back to work, and now he had three months of full-time care before the toddler started attending a child care program in January.
Read 10 tweets
Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Jun 14, 2022
🧵I want to talk about what the school meals cliff means in real terms.

Let's say you're a family of four making $52,000 a year, with one kid in elementary school and one in middle school.

Right now, your kids are getting breakfast and lunches for free during the school year.
When the food waivers expire in 2 weeks, sorry, you're over the limit for free/reduced-price meals.

Your cheapest option now is to just purchase full-price meals.

With prices going up, that means in a typical district you're paying *$1,700* for 2 kids!

wral.com/wake-votes-to-…
That's 3% of your annual income and close to a $150 increase in your monthly food budget!

Of course, this assumes that your district is actually able to operate its school meal program as usual; if it's not, now you're buying more at the grocery store.

usnews.com/news/education…
Read 5 tweets
Elliot Haspel Profile picture
Jun 13, 2022
"Under a policy of broadly expanded subsidies that limits family payments for ECE to no more than 7% of income among those up to 250% of national median income, we estimate that mothers’ employment would increase by six percentage points while full-time...
nber.org/papers/w30140?…
"...employment would increase by nearly 10 percentage points, with substantially larger increases among lower-income families...

...Despite the increased use of formal care, family expenditures on ECE services would decrease throughout most of the income distribution..."

(10%!)
...For example, families in the bottom three income quintiles would experience expenditure reductions of 76%, 68%, and 55%, respectively. Finally, teacher wages and market prices would increase to attract workers with higher levels of education."
Read 4 tweets

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