Parents & Families

Strategies that help parents balance work, career advancement and child rearing will help to reduce poverty among working age adults and their children.

  • Expand affordable, quality daycare options that enable parents to work more, or better hours.

  • Why This Strategy Matters

    Insights from residents show that parents are concerned over the cost of childcare, as well as the quality of care available. According to research by ChildCare Aware of America, single parents in New York State paid an estimated 56% of their income on center-based childcare, or 41% of income for home-based childcare in 2017. These high costs force some parents to make a hard choice between working full time and paying for costly childcare they might not entirely trust, or working part time, or not at all, to care for their children at home. By expanding affordable childcare options, parents, especially single parents, will have a better opportunity to work, giving them additional money that can be spent on food, clothing, and housing for their children.

  • Potential Action Steps

    Increase awareness of existing programs that provide family leave or financial assistance to parents for childcare.

    Foster stronger partnerships between employers and childcare providers to find ways to provide affordable, quality childcare for employees.

    Advocate for policy changes that would guarantee affordable or free quality childcare for all residents regardless of income or employment status (whether full or part time).

    Identify and fill in gaps in areas across the region where there are child care deserts where parents lack access to high quality, affordable child care close to where they live and work.

  • Potential actors in the Community

    Elected officials and policymakers
    Childcare providers
    Employers
    Head Start programs

Models to Consider

  • Quebec Parental Insurance Plan

    Quebec, Canada

    In 1997, the Canadian province of Quebec launched politique familiale (family policy) which, in addition to extensive paid family leave for the birth or adoption of a child and a yearly monetary allowance for families with children, provided subsidized child care to all children under six years old. The policy provides subsidized child care to families with a sliding scale based on income. Many children attend centres de la petite enfance (CPEs), non-profit, publicly subsidized child care centers. Due to high demand, CPEs often have waiting lists, so the government provides a tax credit to reimburse families for up to 75 percent of their childcare costs at privately run child care facilities. Between 1997 and 2016, Quebec saw a 16 percentage point increase in the employment rate for mothers of children under age six, while other provinces without similar programs saw a mere 4 percentage point increase. The program costs Quebec approximately $2 billion each year. While that is a large sum, one study estimates that the increase in Quebec's GDP due to the job growth for mothers with young children is about $3.9 billion.

    www.rqap.gouv.qc.ca

  • Jeremiah Program

    Minneapolis, MN and various locations across the U.S.

    Over the last 20 years, Minneapolis-based Jeremiah Program has improved the lives of 3,600 single mothers and their children through a holistic approach that supports women through a career-track college education. The organization has campuses in Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Rochester, MN, as well as Austin, TX, Fargo, ND, Boston, MA, and New York City. Low income single mothers enter the program with the determination to better both their own and their children's lives by pursuing a college education. Jeremiah Program provides these mothers and children with safe, affordable housing, quality early childhood education and childcare, and life skills training in financial literacy, physical and emotional health, and positive parenting. This strategy cuts the cycle of poverty short by supporting the long-term financial well-being of single mothers, improving education, health, and financial outcomes of their children in the process. Jeremiah Program graduates show increases in income, a decreased reliance on social assistance programs, and improved educational outcomes for their children. Jeremiah Program is funded primarily through grants and contributions, in addition to events, investments, rental income, child care services, and other support.

    jeremiahprogram.org

  • Download Data Sources and Notes for Strategies and Models (PDF)

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