82 Time October 21–28, 2019the director of Tipton Adaptive Day-
care, where Alcaraz sends Paysen, says
the business model just isn’t sustain-
able without subsidies. VanderGaast, 51,
charges $160 per week for full-time infant
and toddler care—a rate she tries to keep
affordable for parents—but she is barely
breaking even. She says about 25 families
have past-due balances. She sets up pay-
ment plans and helps parents with child-
care assistance applications. Sometimes
she asks them to help her with odd jobs
at the day care to pay down their debt.
“It must appear I’m a terrible busi-
ness manager. I know that common
sense would be to kick out a family when
they get behind on their bill,” she says,
but she understands families are strug-
gling. State licensing requirements that
ensure safety and quality mean she can
have no less than one worker for every
four children under 2, and one worker
for every six children under 3—she pays15 employees, starting at $7.25 to $10 an
hour. She can’t skimp on health and safety
inspections, nor can she cut back on food,
knowing that many of her parents already
rely on food stamps. She loses money on
every infant and 2-year-old in her care.
After doing payroll one week in October,
Vander Gaast says, her business bank
account had $9.30 remaining, and she
hadn’t yet ordered the day care’s groceries.
At the same time, she knows she isn’t
paying her staff enough: “My employees
have to rely on food stamps and childcare
assistance themselves because they can’t
afford childcare because I can’t pay them
a living wage.” Ten of the 15 workers have
second jobs. Turnover is high enough
that she finds herself training new peo-
ple nearly every week. She doesn’t blame
workers for leaving. “Walmart pays better,
McDonald’s pays better, the grocery store
pays better,” VanderGaast says.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)estimates that nearly 1.2 million people
are employed in childcare in America, not
including the countless number who are
self-employed. For those who show up on
the books, the median annual income is
only $23,240. “There’s a huge demand for
unskilled workers who are willing to do
these jobs,” says Aparna Mathur, an econ-
omist at the American Enterprise Insti-
tute, a conservative think tank. Ideally,
positions would be filled by highly skilled
teachers with early-childhood education
degrees. “You’d think the market should
fill that gap by enticing workers with
higher wages, but for some reason that
doesn’t happen,” Mathur says. She points
to the heavy regulations of the industry—
necessary to guarantee good conditions
for kids, but a financial burden on child-
care providers.
Kathleen Gerson, a sociologist at New
York University who studies families and
work, calls caregiving a “canary in the coalBaby Doll Tucker reads to kids before
bedtime at M&M Daycare in the Bronx.
Another caregiver reassures them:
“The sun goes down, and when the sun
comes up, Mommy will be here.”
Stephanie Chang, who teaches 2- and
3-year-olds at Little Star of Broome
Street in Manhattan, comforts Louis;
Chang doubts she’ll ever be able to
afford to have children of her own