ANONYMOUS - OUR VOICE

When your job helps the rest of America work

<div class="c-float-left">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_4760_31143" data-cdata='{"asset_id":21899595,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/D-jPReB2aZWDRsw1ZyW1yTRIhks=/0x0:909x278/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PPOHuk1i6lKh0t24EJpN4d4MG6s=/0x0:909x278/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GHWG7IAvpNo4oIBaDHADGLYUiFs=/0x0:909x278/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YIvdh3Lw8k42sBoyK5BaxFAwkkk=/0x0:909x278/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zJ8jXodR-2fMjB3q6xCpkKZj4dk=/0x0:909x278/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xeVoPRROa33_xQ7aG-z5hT2jZfU=/0x0:909x278/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n2Tk9HJBj4LNop1iXGDRluWxwTM=/0x0:909x278/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BZUx8E-I2DkqyH58q_rh7JyaqOc=/0x0:909x278/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zdfq63K4AK9LdTyDv3fQL0AO1bw=/0x0:909x278/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="909" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/diGo6w0rEymdaM13vLDktJ40X84=/0x0:909x278/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CfJJIPFi91BrQS2dHBl6-aTKSns=/0x0:909x278/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pAViUGXvr95DazUaYsrmfjboQMI=/0x0:909x278/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gUuFk5b3PJoqCBsfQTyispj8wRE=/0x0:909x278/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FQdJl4dKkrVPYcH6-nmkRrcWuJI=/0x0:909x278/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AaT-4n1TnJXoz7FtlMhw6FAiqgY=/0x0:909x278/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q9rAKMVRmKGTadRv0jGdpAx0wW4=/0x0:909x278/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-xl3J1pIya3ayEcHs_D3UOi_CUI=/0x0:909x278/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E-YT0E40jstYraQXlQP-nJomki0=/0x0:909x278/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X_zdWCFMG8XtT598kuo4H9UfC_Y=/0x0:909x278/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:909x278):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899595/VOX_The_Highlight_Box_Logo_Horizontal.png 1920w" /></picture></figure>
</div>
Part of the <a href="https://www.vox.com/features/23013380/work-is-broken-can-we-fix-it">Future of Work issue</a> of <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight">The Highlight</a>, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world.
The first children arrive at 5 am. It’s still dark out, and they’re sleepy, but their mom has to get to New York for her shift in the emergency room. Katherine Lantigua gives each of the kids a bottle or a sippy cup, and then they nap until the others start to arrive, around 7. From there, it’s a whirlwind.
Lantigua and her husband, Diogenes del Rosario, take care of 12 children, plus their own two kids, who range from 7 months to 12 years old, at KColorful Daycare, the in-home child care center they started in Bridgeport, Connecticut, in 2019.
On a recent morning, that means: teaching the kids about the letter N, pivoting the children to blocks when they’re not paying attention to the letter N, snagging a plastic cucumber from someone’s mouth and putting it aside for cleaning, asking Messiah to stop running, comforting Anaya, cuddling baby Kamiyah when she got up from her nap, teaching all the kids what an eggplant is, asking Messiah to stop running, helping Amir name the colors of the balls he’s putting into a box, putting on the babies’ shoes for outside time, pushing Zaid in the swing, brokering a dispute over a push toy, and, of course, asking Messiah to stop running.
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_5949_31144" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372836,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PQ2YRS-irCKPJl0f6ybqEijdSpM=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rllQ2q4HtZ_ZCWVr0SQx8bgs6fQ=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h68XXSNv_msBe8eym_EB3fsXEag=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/28pj0Ky2UXoLNXbnXH8mNNAV8KA=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/er9i_T55S4GeHNXt2wsAGmBVW1Q=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F2Or7q09jb4lXhscJdEdLl2UJxw=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qnYGbsSaMY52ruljK8nGpr8FbT0=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3zBY1oyAVC-WnCrCXmG623-Rkvk=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u5f4O_9h5jIyD_RxrlzSZPtQdZE=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NnJTn1sQpFkrfe43CGm5pPo3qHU=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W6pR3Yoh70ZC_iwLsOD5ah_tOgk=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xmDg9WLdyxwFmHw3Ncql82nTKN4=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XkKT6rz2WHIsvuLr931pcf8hAfY=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FW4FxYRbT5FunPY82KYdw_vFAIY=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dshfq5rlrYXXd-Ly0Rw-uer4FsI=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4a1nFRRHh4By5HTYLlWiwoXVe3k=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zpY-gG0jGL-YtDq0L8k6Bmn_rZ8=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CzjPnOgf9l7j-N20BUChYP8cr0I=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/95qwJ_J3d7DCepaCfyuIBJ3xDsI=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372836/20220322_highlight_childcare_06.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Michelle Ortiz drops off her children, Messiah, 4, and Kamiyah, 7 months, with Lantigua at KColorful Daycare.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Then it’s hand-washing time, then lunch, then nap, then the older kids start to arrive for after-school care. The day care closes at 6 pm, but then Lantigua has paperwork, grocery shopping for the next day’s meals, and helping her own kids with homework and bedtime.
“I am exhausted at the end of the day,” Lantigua said during a brief break while the children napped. “I have to toughen up and say, ‘I got this,’ because after I finish day care, then it’s time for my own kids.”
The long days are hard on Lantigua, but her work is what allows Messiah’s family, and Anaya’s, and so many others, to go to their jobs every day knowing their kids are somewhere safe where they can learn and grow. Care work like Lantigua’s is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/16/opinion/care-economy-infrastructure-rosie-the-riveter.html">often called</a> “the work that makes other work possible,” a truth made especially clear during the pandemic, when many day cares and schools closed, leaving millions of parents struggling to watch their kids while still doing their jobs.
<a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/08/moms-child-care-pandemic-full-time-job/">One analysis</a> found that moms spent an average of eight full hours a day on child care in 2020, the equivalent of an extra full-time job — and a reminder of how labor-intensive, and how necessary, work like Lantigua’s is.
<div class="p-fullbleed-block">
<div class="c-image-grid">
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_4600_31145" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372923,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EUlEeV0ixi9QDJ0e1uG6mqQDeYE=/0x0:3600x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Go5fnVJ_pFUJokLAXHaMf0cALG0=/0x0:3600x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/l7VH-Z8rwJFqmUldGuAMAizwWvc=/0x0:3600x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fn-mQgzZXEtRY272UjWw84U2-fo=/0x0:3600x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vcbkVdUhrJBRe_B-VRd4zIYPzwQ=/0x0:3600x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2XUhhk_2_EvAIPHzP9AcenwyOoE=/0x0:3600x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dSEDMoy3Mpiw93S3b3WksNW-VK0=/0x0:3600x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/txGl5yiKGnEQklIKLOGO3USgWd0=/0x0:3600x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vPfbG3Gc5eiXUx3pfFmIVODby7I=/0x0:3600x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uhTLrzc83KDdLYGqb8zUIWnXntE=/0x0:3600x2394/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OVOWxTD13KZPLultqUfq5WViBgs=/0x0:3600x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ySMEiwJ4M3fa03FcPXsyBAbCm7Q=/0x0:3600x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/is6bwStTma45OJUmemlxdkyrRGw=/0x0:3600x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PDnTAgCwBGpgYNI4U8jnO6BtFEo=/0x0:3600x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xt0gmgCx-f3NQ_iAQUzeH8bLG7c=/0x0:3600x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ortdlilgakKTAJRMNfM5wYbbb7o=/0x0:3600x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oEc7w-TwXjEcAEEIme9_sEUatKM=/0x0:3600x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QBtNYZGrVcI8dAJnm5F7Y4W4Cek=/0x0:3600x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4AKz604w4oeuExFJC4W17gqFRs4=/0x0:3600x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372923/20220322_highlight_childcare_10.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua works on a lesson with 1-year-old Gianalyize.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_6136_31146" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372842,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X5_P38lgpgaQqN6TtqfJyMYBYLI=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t6gCxtyE_xX1W2RcUZKby2B9XPE=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8BpG_sfLAMBrnYKosJVIVrJt_2Y=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u6Qxz5_3GVwXzPcGjgr2GnJVOSQ=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4nENVI2Kxmpfqt_ezM3gkC_1Vi0=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5JU0A72YUubKC4Cyv9IQCafywc4=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DieCGxz-s6kpafoVX6RLGKqg9X0=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1H5TFhtVpOMdSX3nWGA1EsatEGk=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mkf8TEWs_iOUp7cp47a4QTAZY4g=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9tOXaJxQHtmxkoB9OmKbz8lpWug=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OiDiTLVLa3-CEdPV1Uiu0xW79H0=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oYJMlOA8nYvG9FcFvbyieJ_OVIg=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VEky63515DJqSb_ztSxGMGgsnQs=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jNnIAk66nqM1anzXOTse_Lgdvfc=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lY_1W2B-KZ0c08xC_iy071tSYp0=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ph8wUQQZpC7HmZJyJVFGmPWqsgE=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RsJw8aB8elOYENj6HOuKaU194Tw=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/daM_PbDOzh_V7zYnFrpxNYPAP7k=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mCSB4m_HoRTycVAn1Z-WJZNbaw8=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372842/20220322_highlight_childcare_37.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>From left, Messiah, Amir, 2, and Tyshawn, 4, wash their hands after lunch.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_5348_31147" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372841,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0dHFeQKnjVVPmA6TgVLl0Lzp0fU=/0x0:5965x3968/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Yj-TmLwEn0IKRCoAXtktADpE2ec=/0x0:5965x3968/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9luw8A0X0H-HxGBrU2yXNgLZosE=/0x0:5965x3968/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Khzc1-cqjuI0d3581sWd-uUIvtY=/0x0:5965x3968/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9UnlRohJvaxNea4RxvneuNnzsgg=/0x0:5965x3968/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2DAluuat0O23PH6UHFHlnorA6x8=/0x0:5965x3968/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/juhyKcAKoM_KFZpEcgOMJYr882c=/0x0:5965x3968/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kqr3IbMDKrkCwQUSxD9IEdcoTxk=/0x0:5965x3968/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/INw9RFU1FwQY4yUAqFpk0lTVUrQ=/0x0:5965x3968/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="5965" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3Exti-XcWYDj3c5aDAa4Tiv-Ebo=/0x0:5965x3968/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0y3OIIUEm9Z5G96kOZTLVwGzmlM=/0x0:5965x3968/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_oqzQEOz1CfMLbJI4U53pRwbm04=/0x0:5965x3968/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/T6LRjk9RC8uou1G0pPvvgnratDw=/0x0:5965x3968/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mSrzYBegJ1OILN6y-_P94ZWit4s=/0x0:5965x3968/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q_WqhQ0uTBfnqxrIwn4Drixucgk=/0x0:5965x3968/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MM-mW1RBZNeFzWLfRPPLPLNQ4ns=/0x0:5965x3968/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aYupzXCep0n78i1CiE6xRaS7ydY=/0x0:5965x3968/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lM-NCwxLDecCF5W24YP4saCZjaA=/0x0:5965x3968/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cu6H-CnNri1DPwRswYR6kgtBO28=/0x0:5965x3968/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:5965x3968):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372841/20220322_highlight_childcare_33.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua (left) feeds Kamiyah as (from rear) Tyshawn, Anaya, and Messiah, all 4, feed themselves lunch.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_2824_31148" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372843,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CPVqahQCho3b1pO-RzDglekia0w=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lHwNAFLz8XDoBnP32KqzETOoYRw=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RPLp7vfDCObhf77oK7ASQq5ivC8=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fAgQQcn1jBsyq0NBD1j4IAfkBbc=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LAHeneuzy7MWCWU1tiRAcrRQgiM=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zd8AUxp0_hS9gCRaz3pETQbUyCM=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nsrmzSC3EDx3_jKAAo8HLlANMt0=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KCUHF0fc4n7MCUSzjS0N0lpqRUE=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1FCaqFrwqE8aCQVryAZY5YS5TKQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-xdTQJvszFQL89baQ8Ff9X-Apw8=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o7f-ekyTt-z-oB9C7a879faYDfQ=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/PnGa9q6hrqloFUF6ZJ0Y-2xn8oc=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/G4BLctJlGdiWtFn8mFNURq2E3PA=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4GvqAr-4WvP26mMYdQUJdlfFLfE=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-DKQ9yL79hxhgEIoqnswg5hTps4=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rI6tpKi0fSxXi6dO0cHyBbCpN58=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QWp_N_vZe0tpKowu45x7PSXBwQo=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8DaFt0kawXAROWOaduQytck6LCQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aTQUBMXsRjsfknFfDZL3XnId3gY=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372843/20220322_highlight_childcare_39.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua places a blanket over Anaya as she prepares for a nap after lunch.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Lantigua herself, however, is barely making ends meet. After she pays her mortgage and the salary for her one employee, she said, she has to choose: “This month I’m going to pay the light, next month I’m going to pay the gas.” Saving for retirement is out of the question for now. Neither she nor her husband takes a salary. “We can’t afford that,” Lantigua says. Instead, they try to cover expenses as best they can with whatever the day care makes in a month.
For their long hours spent in a difficult, always-on environment, child care providers like Lantigua often make poverty-level wages — an <a href="https://www.bls.gov/ooh/personal-care-and-service/childcare-workers.htm#:~:text=The%20median%20hourly%20wage%20for%20childcare%20workers%20was%20%2412.24%20in%20May%202020.&text=Employment%20of%20childcare%20workers%20is,on%20average%2C%20over%20the%20decade.">average of just $13.22 an hour</a> in May 2021, when the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/OES/Current/oes_nat.htm#00-0000">median hourly wage</a> for all workers was $22. They are disproportionately likely to lack benefits and to need <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2016/07/11/the-people-taking-care-of-our-kids-live-in-poverty/">public assistance</a>.
“Child care workers, the people providing this labor and this service that is absolutely vital to the continuing of our economy and families, are so underpaid that they can’t afford to cover their basic needs,” said Asha Banerjee, an economic analyst at the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit think tank.
The job has gotten even harder during the pandemic, with new risks, like the possibility of contracting Covid-19, and new requirements, like making a room full of toddlers keep their masks on at all times, constantly sanitizing toys and surfaces, and coping with lost enrollment as parents pull their kids out over Covid fears or because they’ve lost their jobs. Inflation is driving up the cost of basic supplies and stretching providers’ budgets even further. “Our plastic cups and our materials actually cost more,” said Reena Abraham, owner of the Learning Experience, a Brooklyn child care center.
There’s a limit to how much providers can raise prices, though. Child care costs more than college tuition in many states — in Connecticut, it averages <a href="https://www.epi.org/child-care-costs-in-the-united-states/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw_4-SBhCgARIsAAlegrUQncBTrwPnYulBlqtHLfJtnR_U_rWaOUw2zJnlFgVUXm5dCUmxMi4aAkVmEALw_wcB#/CT">$15,501 per year</a> — and many families can’t afford to pay much more. Indeed, experts in the field say the only way to fix the system is for the government to dramatically scale up its investment, increasing subsidies to help families afford care and make sure workers earn a living wage. However, with President Joe Biden’s big social spending package, which included <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/10/28/22748554/biden-budget-build-back-better-democrats-child-care-taxes">funding for child care and preschool</a>, stalled in Congress, it’s not clear when — if ever — such help will arrive.
Meanwhile, the sector is rapidly losing workers. More than <a href="https://www.bls.gov/oes/2019/may/oes399011.htm">560,000 people</a> worked in child care in 2019, but <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/economy/child-care-labor-force-declines/index.html">one-third of those jobs were lost</a> at the start of the pandemic. The industry hasn’t recovered, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2022/01/28/economy/child-care-labor-force-declines/index.html">dropping 4,500 jobs</a> between September and November 2021 and another 3,700 jobs in December alone. In a lot of cases, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2021/09/19/childcare-workers-quit/">workers are leaving for better pay</a> as elementary school teachers, or in other sectors, such as hospitality or warehouse work. “We are competing with restaurants and Amazon for staffing,” Abraham said.
The situation threatens the entire economy — all those jobs that child care work makes possible. One data analysis found that about <a href="https://19thnews.org/2021/01/about-700000-parents-with-young-kids-left-the-workforce-in-2020-for-many-loss-of-child-care-was-to-blame/">700,000 parents of young children</a> left the labor force in 2020, many because of a lack of child care.
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_4146_31149" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372838,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ptYoAdayTIS56k6-URr1pII8r1c=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gK4nD9NjoHrvdnlGxHv0XH3mTeY=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7dApMUvnJGx2FIXnvVHq0BlCtHU=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qLXVqR8dod6bceBCY51f30MyzPo=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kt4csz-nDTWA4pvhwqp-B6fzbpA=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8nZDdjf0m8EuQazo7qJLpUhD5tw=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Qw8oz0hke1jrFnYR7mrSb1ovZpU=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0Fj6gcn9OiNoZ0CP1DF7Lrjlr4I=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6h98ESA7QRyHJyeatOdFTcS2T2U=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6n2MG0CB57BlR7ozlWzBqjoa8bY=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kdm1rIe-yuMMKI_0ZBEooQ4wqfU=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Wgf7Lvg7qMvJ-pJUvx2Z8ws1dU8=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YLQjFpFSzqOc6hx9Rtg0Xyadmzw=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/58pH9tuUS_seuXy6CCUKxwZl3YQ=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4lIgZgDPcxyJRDhkPdxzyGxjRek=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bbNcV6kOaebGZFKeVnt7JM8HqLE=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oBpHSFAD21sYbRN6mGrd7veW4Rg=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Fvo8bevw60TwubUoAr1HNi5sVkg=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hp-ae5RoKkXArisf0ZH81mUgliE=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372838/20220322_highlight_childcare_22.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua, left, and assistant Bienvenida de la Cruz enjoy a sunny day with the children in the yard outside the day care. De la Cruz is the only employee Lantigua can afford to hire; though Lantigua owns the day care, she cannot afford to pay herself, she says.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Lantigua, for her part, has big dreams for her day care. She’d love to hire more staff so she could provide more individualized attention to each child. She could design separate activities for the babies and toddlers, rather than having them all do the same thing. She could spend more one-on-one time with each child, attending to their unique challenges and needs.
Instead, she’s left trying to make the math work, providing a service that families desperately need but that lawmakers and society at large consistently fail to prioritize. “I feel that we are ignored,” Lantigua said. “I feel that we are neglected. I feel that we don’t matter.”
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
Lantigua hasn’t always been a child care provider. When she and her husband moved to Connecticut four years ago, she was a medical assistant. But the family couldn’t find affordable care for their daughter. It’s a common problem: <a href="https://childcaredeserts.org/2018/#:~:text=In%20the%20United%20States%2C%2051,enough%20licensed%20child%20care%20providers.">51 percent of Americans</a> live in child care deserts, areas where there are more than three times as many children as there are available care slots, <a href="https://childcaredeserts.org/2018/">according to the Center for American Progress</a>.
For Lantigua and her husband, that meant splitting the day in half: She worked the day shift at a clinic while her husband drove for Uber at night. It wasn’t working, she said. “He almost got into a car accident because he was exhausted.”
So they saved up money until they had enough to open a day care in their home, launching a career they hoped would allow them to take care of their daughter and their baby son, born in 2018, while still earning an income.
Starting a day care isn’t easy. Would-be providers have to complete a lengthy state licensing process, which can include anything from background checks to inspections of the facility’s boiler and fire extinguishers. In Connecticut, it typically takes 60 to 90 days and costs about $3,000.
Then there’s the challenge of the work itself. When Lantigua opened her doors and saw all the kids together for the first time, “I was like, ‘what in the world did I get myself into?’” Lantigua remembers. “I have to be insane.”
Now, however, she projects an image of calm, even when six kids need six different things at once. A bright pink house with a picket fence, wreaths on the door, and a decorative sign reading, “family,” the day care is welcoming even before the children walk in. The kids spend much of the morning playing downstairs, where the play area includes blocks, baby dolls, a truly impressive array of plastic foods, and a reading corner full of picture books.
<div class="c-wide-block">
<div class="c-image-grid">
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_2805_31150" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372938,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3YvVBpFFSiE3fPA7tMoak5njvCM=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPKcSI39Kn9MM2Y1T6mLYtPGtJE=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ra-NJvFPM_6uGaFL7AT8Qg-vtmQ=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yrN8bQV4sgm18aDcXN_dcsWO2P0=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/luYcnzuc5DOg8vpwErX2AfWsDUg=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/n-OeEKJ9dhmawXpaSYzG9_GlNIM=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LQaWGTCdtxVT184N3i-BA-Q2tpg=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SiR7y74wFlW8p7f4P25QVueQq5c=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7cvUhNu5YlXk8AfUwCLs1wJeavA=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UDq84nqwv8nwEX7AY6t_4S-HCS8=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/21hYKWSMpHZv4hH38dSbEPhBeEk=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KA7aUb9DUTN93nrOYo6ZAMRZZWk=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DjvsjCIqTjvOV-_gexSpLKiKhoY=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-9jt84IYqO_b9BnI6eN2DgudYbI=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sa1sVW8ITcCY0J1nRhj3334OHJQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BmQPQeyu_tH51iry4JuNNflxmzQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RuvAdlxqLmeJSi3xsm5VhGej19c=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3wnINSXzGPyOqshH3jTYS5r9mfI=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/CLZaC9wAfWojv7SzTgruhbsvX00=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372938/20220322_highlight_childcare_30.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Anaya, 4, stands next to a group of dolls during playtime.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
<div class="c-image-grid__item">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_4781_31151" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372889,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NrfHPztbbvRliFuPO3tBrC0oziU=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bi6zJVCIh55JHyCcOK_Xl6JALEs=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bskN0IA7_7YCFsMjvGenD6b0rhI=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t9aFS031j3AzfLp0sOqcWUU7z90=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SRsd5hq-hN7UgJJ7Kdkxfh12pn4=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xbAkoGwasXnwwJUUFXq41oyPdjU=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/49L48tbsKHa4Xt-Zgk_TswStTrk=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GWTgfv5c0Z1DqDqwPeS4VGvrNDE=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ez8_-In3qEVBbEZqV-m-ALn_JuU=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/h1M0KEI6NY_F15CujicIZINi7BE=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0UQIXBbmV6NXE39B6WkhajNgkOQ=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gOsTrdWlzfWhZ3M6w_cCvQVf8QM=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U4Ejc-xek3754Wrsc9eDSy3uqcM=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R2jO8L2EaicQ0z6QsCIv6ucCVQ8=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tPCzRfbGcwNsUJuV79T-QaqJ-Zg=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZaSI5PA6YaYPeRpaF6LtcuMLdR4=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pUE-ZDBH-aL0_wfsbd3sN8AYTP8=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8-7pwjJVwpLyTKfEBaLikIy-DOE=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/evlp9__2ig96K4-wVKz2Yax91nM=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372889/20220322_highlight_childcare_18.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua works on a lesson about circles with Messiah, 4, and Gianalyize, 1.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
</div>
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_3555_31152" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372837,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/F2MK_46u9YMFphiqkBb4DLNPhvw=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oHVaGkNlwU0YWbR51Xaz4jNYdIA=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RCj1xQ4vOpZ4ltSY-oWdVq5oRA0=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GWanfNj-Bzj4IdkybXOCuLgT_rs=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zdjYkUWgv4M4fYB3w-YGyl87hDM=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1BfVPKyBZOOm43G5Saw6fbsz3fE=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/x28j1Vr1iNnKGCBZcumCn6FISu8=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/89MMhao-SmV1bIiD7XvQL5AJClw=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kU1XjnEPt9Lh-0tHO1q6L077_OM=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6rkzhYhAwYnG4mMYqdZ0VdgfWio=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ON8G5RrmhWKkLf1JiFum9VPCjp4=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/W2iNg6wzuKAoL_VEXfMyacl4ncA=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2wy0GUnKyrB9fPvQhxRYg6MncnY=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4sO5w7rZLspAdnO5vKNcqvIdIMc=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/--YE_3ch1Jq11BQgLIIDI_wWyTo=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tisBy_u5DBUCaGoDcjzZSakXaUE=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Q1zxuDLPe18oRRB0HIacFMi4KG4=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6GsUfHTvMdVhSRNvo1A3tgD4x2A=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wm3GW70-Xt8KAiSG0-T5ualRTos=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372837/20220322_highlight_childcare_20.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua walks outside with Gianalyize to play in the yard. “I like them to be independent,” she says. “It helps me, and it helps the families.”</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Lantigua has taught a lot of the kids how to put on their own coats and shoes. “I like them to be independent,” she said. “It helps me, and it helps the families.”
The families can use the help. Some work long hours. Some are single parents. All receive subsidies, a combination of state and federal funds designed to help lower-income families afford child care.
These subsidies are supposed to help with the punishing cost of care, but there’s not enough money to go around: Only about <a href="https://www.researchconnections.org/sites/default/files/pdf/rc33216.pdf">one in six US families</a> who are eligible for subsidies in a <a href="https://www.benefits.gov/benefit/615">federal-state program</a> actually get them, while many families languish on subsidy waitlists for years with no assistance.
The affordability problem affects millions of Americans, worsening as the cost of care <a href="https://fortune.com/2022/01/28/the-cost-of-child-care-in-the-us-is-rising/">skyrocketed during the pandemic</a>. <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/working-families-spending-big-money-child-care/">As of 2019</a>, more than half of working families with children under 5 — about 5.1 million households — were paying for child care. The average family spent 10 percent of its income on care, which is about <a href="https://www.americanprogress.org/article/working-families-spending-big-money-child-care/">40 percent more</a> than the Department of Health and Human Services considers affordable. Low-income families, meanwhile, spent a full 35 percent of their pay on child care.
Even still, providers are squeezed. Lantigua, for example, said she only receives about $5 per hour per child in subsidy payments. At that rate, she can only afford one employee, her assistant, Bienvenida de la Cruz.
Over the last two years, when someone needs a diaper change or a potty trip or some water, de la Cruz has been the one to handle it. Throughout the day, she’s constantly stepping in to help, grabbing someone’s coat or holding a fussing baby while Lantigua tends to the older kids. De la Cruz also cooks the meals for the day care from an open kitchen where the savory smells — of beef stew with carrots and potatoes, for example — can waft into the playroom. When the kids inevitably throw the food on the floor, she’s there to pick it up, too.
For all this, she’s paid $13 per hour, the minimum wage in Connecticut. She doesn’t have health insurance. “I love my job,” de la Cruz said through an interpreter. At the same time, with three kids of her own to support, “it’s hard to make it to the end of the month.”
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_3192_31153" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372981,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mFdQgz3EK22xsrZ9xXpIuM28N44=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/LFt2hluLuBQpByPslOSbHl95TbA=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g1dKz4H7fK376IP0KdkfRhnQgCg=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2zMgw5jDvQTYnzJRss6KSiGN1tk=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/--9XxjDab-ZKqP0D-TZpEapc3CM=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VQIjCcwxln6J9Ax0T97EnTL6k60=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8DeXw6OwynWLfugSLWC4wvlAlLA=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/psYzXllWfbGX7Q_df0w_rhuL5QQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/soht8zJ3-t241vVsACJwYU12fIU=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kEGHKFigZZHCTPExJdr4XRhiknA=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ii9FugA-nY6HetCgzq0WavOnbAM=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NXjO2ZkJDz_Ln0v8JWZrIAMl_10=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bgiiAVZIeLvQkls4nBLs3cXSJgM=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KE3TJ6YUQENn5EBOlp3AONHKDTc=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4qd0lznRTnGjMz01qbphsP4YHeY=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AR-PZrjLd6nj-vkJaOAWArDZy80=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J_ZuzrQFwUzoXDJqxnFHk7eVYTg=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/TtVqh3Ww77wpP5htCQMfBAK3ylg=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/smCd0rju5yAgvV25E-XUeJOSPxM=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372981/20220322_highlight_childcare_04.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>De la Cruz prepares a breakfast of pancakes and fruit for children at the day care. The work pays her $13 an hour — minimum wage in Connecticut, but far below the median hourly wage for American workers, which is $22.</figcaption>
</figure>
<div>
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_5935_31154" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372593,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xDDW-ZzF-KdAqsHgh0tDUGiD3a4=/0x0:3600x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dAqFolHw9WsP080SqHaUfqkW1ak=/0x0:3600x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fluoT_REV2YdpVx_SaCOR9tuFZc=/0x0:3600x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/d4Zc39flwFMi0CLGESxSu1Z-m2U=/0x0:3600x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ktFwFTDflZW6HwuBUjYrBwVQNdY=/0x0:3600x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g9uT_hZZc0jSISf-WXihcgYWI0M=/0x0:3600x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4ERtE2RYGzUBvurlxhRf-yZEuHQ=/0x0:3600x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/czixgjhJyH7j8tDEsUEZCL92cnE=/0x0:3600x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ItYSypwYNCgzOQ2_xbtkCpvzUo4=/0x0:3600x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/M9dgIGzwFfsmy9QgEXoQPdWC788=/0x0:3600x2394/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2pmJvIjeqr9R_vDve2lt9fsafuE=/0x0:3600x2394/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pBrooH7Il8LoNUsrLkCdnlAuNDc=/0x0:3600x2394/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JQd13_oebE5xiiaAFfpDo_giMQ8=/0x0:3600x2394/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2u5lH2_PJAvMm2p3khPmFWqusNM=/0x0:3600x2394/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/vWP0Hio9D9s6c3OpCX5Hi7HmSxk=/0x0:3600x2394/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EjXDb2TeoHGZeQd1mfrV5w7q69o=/0x0:3600x2394/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j63G7m46Tn7JiHYllw72RNK_tEg=/0x0:3600x2394/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6SzRAauq_yzJv88HPNuZeYr9Jsg=/0x0:3600x2394/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JsGMYEr7PsEb7ipDwrnVpCDrwY4=/0x0:3600x2394/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2394):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372593/20220322_highlight_childcare_34.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>De la Cruz, left, and KColorful co-owner Diogenes del Rosario feed lunch to three toddlers in their care. Del Rosario used to drive for Uber at night before opening the day care with Lantigua, his wife.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Del Rosario, Lantigua’s husband, doesn’t have health insurance, either. Lantigua and her kids get theirs through the state’s Medicaid program, but she was recently told that her income is above the threshold and she no longer qualifies. “According to them, that’s it,” she said. “I’m down the drain.”
Lack of benefits — and low wages — are typical of the child care field. Only about 20 percent of child care workers have employer-sponsored health insurance, compared with 52 percent of all workers, according to <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/higher-wages-for-child-care-and-home-health-care-workers/">a November 2021 report</a> by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI). Just one in 10 child care workers has retirement benefits.
The low compensation is a result of centuries of devaluing care work in America. <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/21432940/child-care-bailout-covid-economy-work-parents-great-rebuild">Proposals in Congress</a> to create universal child care programs, which could have increased worker pay, have stalled because they were painted as anti-family. “We’re still to some degree fighting the idea that children of a certain age, and really the younger they are, should be at home with their mothers,” said Caitlin McLean, director of multi-state and international programs at the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment.
Moreover, child care has historically been performed by women, and especially women of color, <a href="https://thehill.com/changing-america/opinion/559457-the-roots-of-our-child-care-crisis-are-in-the-legacy-of-slavery">dating back to slavery</a>. Today, the child care workforce is <a href="https://www.epi.org/publication/higher-wages-for-child-care-and-home-health-care-workers/">94 percent female</a> and disproportionately Black and Latina. A disproportionate share are also immigrants. The low pay of these workers is inextricably bound up with misogyny, racism, and xenophobia, said Banerjee, one of the co-authors of the EPI report. “Care work is undervalued because care workers are also undervalued.”
That devaluation has translated to serious hardship in a country where basics like food and housing are <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-goods/22994731/inflation-rate-russia-gas-prices-jerome-powell">getting more expensive</a>, while wages — especially in child care work — fail to keep pace. <a href="https://www.ffyf.org/1-in-3-child-care-workers-is-experiencing-food-insecurity/">One in three child care workers</a> experienced food insecurity in 2020. More than 10 percent of workers in <a href="https://hechingerreport.org/its-unconscionable-we-depend-on-child-care-workers-to-provide-high-quality-care-to-our-children-but-many-of-those-workers-cant-afford-food-and-rent/">one 2021 University of Oregon survey</a> said they’d been evicted during the pandemic; almost 30 percent said they struggled to pay their rent or mortgage. Meanwhile, child care workers are often unable to afford care for their own children, Banerjee said.
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_5684_31155" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23373247,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nEmzqvB3HgCA588DRJjgSYxorkw=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZlRYg3X3iUFkR34uijWdpICRRfw=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gPAzK-0rKBTwX0Weyvp-aDN_urU=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/_g_mY_UQbx9UnBn6N5WkCaXVuII=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YP_JfOkSoxDQNv6Snx9Zo-VAIuQ=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mK6rOGZ2e4LRQZ7NUP4DIPNUXMY=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rj8jq3MzpIcjFfDT8s9a4afzlE4=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OHrYwMYElX2-1twmhyfXi4FkEu4=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZaqKiXPJ_SI1flQZs9CMIfPlSL0=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4XBM1Llcdq2rs1pgCbP_UGorZwk=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7Wg0UoJ7aL0CT8CapUUhTUmmCFs=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pDk96LNlZ4QhLRcNhve1qFQvdks=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-NYojtNCeLRXo-MTJJxxwrjH-Go=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ecwzCLQ6k2MfRQj0V0qgPTkvCYw=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5GfrUHFYjMXYAoY6qRFn1TT0s4o=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SP5ZynwziZ5SZAuDfZMjKKJVJFg=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/872TRCv-lRRKDC51i_rxv_vAi4g=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j7BJR9IGXVfbsH7PsdKczGErYMI=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yAJh6DXNlXFy2xirxzv4-9nvtHY=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23373247/20220322_highlight_childcare_26.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua talks with parent Christine Wilson as Wilson’s daughter Anaya, 4, looks on in the yard outside the day care.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
In addition to financial struggles, child care workers contend with long hours, intense physical and emotional demands, and, especially in the case of day care owner-operators, myriad responsibilities beyond just taking care of kids. “Child care teachers are doing all the things that you might realize, like leading a group of kids through lessons and activities and those types of things during the day, but they’re also doing all of these business activities to try to keep their program afloat,” McLean said.
That’s become even more difficult during the pandemic, when thousands of day cares had to close their doors to help stem the spread of Covid-19. Even after they were able to reopen, many struggled with <a href="https://www.wkbw.com/rebound/daycares-struggle-to-rebound-from-pandemic">low enrollment</a>, which cut into their already precarious bottom line. Meanwhile, early educators found themselves thrust into the role of front-line workers overnight, caring for kids who were often too young to wear masks or keep a safe distance. “The six-feet-apart situation was a complete disaster,” Lantigua said.
“They want to play with each other, they want to interact with each other, and they can’t.”
Lantigua worried that one of the kids would bring Covid-19 into the day care. “My son has asthma, I have bronchitis,” she said. “It was scary.”
Such fears led some day care operators to close permanently. Others had to close because they could no longer pay the bills. Nearly 16,000 providers shut down permanently between December 2019 and March 2021, <a href="https://info.childcareaware.org/media/16000-childcare-providers-shut-down-in-the-pandemic.-its-a-really-big-deal">according to a report</a> by the nonprofit Child Care Aware of America.
That has made affordable care even harder to find than it was when Lantigua was looking, four years ago. Child care in America today is “just a complete market failure,” Banerjee said. “And without some sort of intervention, it won’t change.”
<hr class="p-entry-hr" />
Many experts and providers say that intervention has to come in the form of increased government funding. “What folks really need is sustainable base funding for their programs,” McLean said.
For programs like Lantigua’s that serve low-income families, that would mean higher subsidies. She’d like to see a standard of at least minimum wage per hour per child. “I’m working with six different characters,” she said — different personalities, different needs, different ways of learning and being in the world. “So why don’t I deserve to get paid at least $13 per hour, per child?”
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_5743_31156" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372864,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/j5ddOdiA9LY4U0CrqU6_k3uzqc4=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3clcUjXqVhmCuMyunKAmNuRq4X0=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xC9_MqnJ6-B_9dxSz8JkV3LfYvo=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iGRAEGJ4CrbJJiLCY6iwS8ImMqU=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jtzaShb1MQiFXg00zItXWH_IX1E=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R7vwkzFS9NvEKYmjVgAeYPEN5kA=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sPMUKctFAuiqwMdjfNKwQ3p01cA=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/A77dkC6tHUy5BF4lKhmKEUn-dbI=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0TKornGVAIq05FafMlUG1-ionQI=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AzIBd0waOMCtOYhTv6QJ3dLc0cU=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Xj9uBrgGbDH2q9xoQc5a-0YfiG0=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/AP-nhupfIHlhmTuFrUC3WHHmPos=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zoT8yn2MVN8BFiJ43zZm6ZwUgPE=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jzWyjNL1rGw51WUYc2hNZp7Y3Nc=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HAznIOYpWkDuJiUGLvgdDjN6LC8=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HXQ7ZH2FZdB64jw0XFt18cTdThk=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xtLuQMq1IoJsRu9Pd2Gt0kY8Jv4=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/f4JsCR2ugkHE2NVlFDGQ66_itfY=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6Tr6m2UFSOif0VvkNmHzKVsYxbg=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372864/20220322_highlight_childcare_31.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Lantigua puts a sock back onto baby Kamiyah’s foot as older children play around them. Unlike many day cares nationwide, KColorful has weathered the pandemic, but it has not been easy, as child care workers were thrust into the role of front-line workers overnight, looking after kids who were often too young to wear masks.</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
More broadly, it means a reimagining of America’s child care system as a public good supported by taxpayers on behalf of everyone, much like K-12 schools.
With public schools, “there’s a recognition that this is an expensive but crucial service, and so it’s going to be paid for with public funds, to make sure that costs can be covered and quality can remain high,” McLean said. With child care, by contrast, “really just whatever parents can afford is what they get. And often, that means that teachers are really shortchanged.”
The pandemic has done a lot to focus public attention on the problem — perhaps depressingly, many Americans began to recognize the value of child care when it was no longer available. <a href="https://www.ffyf.org/timeline-of-covid-19-relief-for-the-child-care-industry-and-working-families/#:~:text=The%20%243%20trillion%20economic%20stimulus,family%20care%20for%20essential%20workers.">The CARES Act, HEROES Act, and American Rescue Plan</a> all included funding to help care providers weather some of the enrollment losses and increased costs associated with the pandemic. Last spring, President Biden unveiled the <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/4/28/22404411/biden-american-families-plan-inequality">American Families Plan</a>, a proposal that included universal free preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds, along with a $225 billion investment to make infant and toddler care more affordable for families making up to 1.5 times their states’ median income. The plan also called for raising child care workers’ wages to $15 per hour, or to parity with those of kindergarten teachers.
It wasn’t perfect — <a href="https://www.vox.com/22744837/house-senate-democrats-build-back-better-child-care">there were questions</a> about how the plan would phase in, and whether it might drive up costs for middle-class families. Still, many workers and advocates hailed it as an important step in the right direction, and a sign that the government was finally taking child care seriously. Biden’s agenda reflected a recognition that “care is as important as roads and bridges to our economy,” Banerjee said.
Then it stalled. The Build Back Better Act, which included many provisions of the American Families Plan, <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/12/19/22845122/manchin-build-back-better-psaki">floundered in the Senate</a> last winter when the White House couldn’t get centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) on board. It’s unclear when or if it will be revived, or whether the child care provisions will be part of any revival.
For now, providers and families are still on their own, with some exceptions. <a href="https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/education/article_c992cb6e-903b-11ec-96fb-23726b837ec1.html">Lawmakers in Louisiana</a> are pushing for a $115 million annual investment over the next 10 years to improve the state’s child care system, including raising pay for workers. Washington, DC, <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/8/5/20748833/washington-dc-pre-k-free-public-universal">began expanding public preschool</a> for 3- and 4-year olds in 2008, and now pays teachers in the program on par with teachers of older children, McLean said. More recently, the city established a pay equity fund to improve the pay of infant and toddler educators as well. And in New York, state legislators have proposed measures to expand families’ access to subsidies and to increase subsidy rates.
Nonprofits have also stepped in. The Connecticut-based group All Our Kin, for example, offers child care providers business training and licensing support; during the pandemic, the group has helped providers get PPE and apply for Paycheck Protection Program loans, and advocated for stabilization grants to help programs remain afloat. As a result of their help combined with federal and state aid, more than 90 percent of All Our Kin-affiliated child care programs have weathered the pandemic so far and remain open, said Jessica Sager, the group’s chief executive.
Lantigua relied on All Our Kin to help her transition from medical assistant to child care provider. “They sit down, they explain to you, they help you fill out these applications,” she said. “When you’re completely lost, it’s like you have a backbone.”
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650401774_4694_31157" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23372728,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/seYdbJS4IfAKjt-nwbghhdk-YkU=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FsDtYg4cy-RWIf0FBW38fwzNfGw=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dyGYCuKC63Wq_7k7HKdUUb66GVE=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Ovmy1Zx-ZCTRQlaaf8h-9Frp39A=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cGr4MJYq7E35NXThOfF4VDIwZ98=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NC5kQ0sObs8-3WmX_nINR89-OpA=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ZvbK3cWC4O5xYkULPQuTwVTlJOg=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q9Y7ja7En6az9g_fH0gS8Y3CJwI=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9hWtDjNdzMUvCEbSos0sJQOQkDo=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="" data-upload-width="3600" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/SNNglzzRo6hOiy6A4HW1Z3cAAh4=/0x0:3600x2395/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iFtcdbp0l7GYtDkgKSAi6DDCvDA=/0x0:3600x2395/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Z0FaoD6yxmsrlaaZG4TPNofNB4k=/0x0:3600x2395/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/jUeT7YeHq6OLP9SEdLuCAg1N0sw=/0x0:3600x2395/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qG6PWujp9g_zRKnJNX6zriDdXS4=/0x0:3600x2395/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/DJiIjkKpBh5b8DXFZfPCOSumT28=/0x0:3600x2395/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rktCZM85JyuimRyYyhwzJIF_o8Q=/0x0:3600x2395/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BLZLThEAXnCWJLFrXzX3sVv5-fU=/0x0:3600x2395/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2j_s2tunwp-aWfkAqNFhWLFDtZA=/0x0:3600x2395/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-wIIDI8nvdbneEZB3Q_ID1ktxs4=/0x0:3600x2395/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3600x2395):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23372728/20220322_highlight_childcare_42.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>“I’m working with six different characters,” says Lantigua — different personalities, different needs, different ways of learning and being in the world. “So why don’t I deserve to get paid at least $13 per hour, per child?”</figcaption>
</figure>
</div>
Today, Lantigua is paying some of that help forward by training and organizing other providers. She teaches CPR on the weekends, and recently helped organize a rally called a <a href="https://www.fox61.com/article/news/local/connecticut-childcare-workers-rally-state-funding/520-bb7ac004-f83b-4acb-8721-022afda4dbf7">“Morning Without Child Care”</a> to call for higher subsidies from the state. Such advocacy may be producing results: Five bills recently introduced in the Connecticut legislature would include more funding for child care, including one that would boost subsidy rates and fund 13,000 additional care slots for infants and toddlers. “We are seeing a real surge of public will around potentially investing in family child care,” Sager said.
It remains an uncertain time for Lantigua and for providers across the country. No one knows when or if another Covid-19 surge will force another round of quarantines and closures. No one knows when the price of paper cups will come back down. No one knows when or if policymakers will step in with the funding to boost worker pay and make child care more affordable for parents.
What Lantigua does know is that the status quo is untenable.
“It’s not fair for the child care providers, it’s not fair for the families,” she said, “and it’s definitely not fair for the children.”
Anna North reports for Vox on work and education in America, including the politics and policy around child care, schools, reproductive health care, and paid leave. She is the author of the novel Outlawed.
Coral Getino contributed reporting translation for this story.
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22977657/future-of-work-child-care-worker-shortage">https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/22977657/future-of-work-child-care-worker-shortage</a>

vox When your job helps the rest of America work

Part of the Future of Work issue of The Highlight , our home for ambitious stories that explain our world. The first children arrive...

Clean energy is buried at the bottom of abandoned oil wells

This story is part of Recode by Vox’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/e/22789761">Tech Support</a> series, which explores solutions for our warming world.
In case you missed it, our planet is in trouble. The <a href="https://www.vox.com/23009894/un-ipcc-climate-mitigation-report-ar6-summary">UN climate report</a> from early April makes clear we’re on a path that will careen past the climate goals set in the Paris Agreement, and we need to cut carbon emissions — fast. But while solar and wind power are important (they are, after all, key parts of the Biden administration’s <a href="https://www.vox.com/22242572/biden-climate-change-plan-explained">climate plan</a>) they’re the kind of thing we’ve seen plenty of before, which means they’ll only get us so far. What we need, the UN report says, is new solutions. Which is why <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/doe-awards-84-million-accessing-geothermal-potential-abandoned-oil-and-gas-wells">a pilot program</a> recently detailed by the US Department of Energy (DOE) is particularly intriguing. If it works, it could help solve multiple problems at once, using an often-overlooked solution: geothermal energy.
Geothermal energy works on a simple premise: The Earth’s core is hot, and by drilling even just a few miles underground, we can tap into that practically unlimited heat source to generate energy for our homes and businesses without creating nearly as many of the greenhouse gas emissions that come from burning fossil fuels. However, drilling doesn’t come cheap — it accounts for half the cost of most geothermal energy projects — and requires specialized labor to map the subsurface, drill into the ground, and install the infrastructure needed to bring energy to the surface.
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650358815_5509_238479" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23389663,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FyzMyO23E5Iu1Xys9iDaIqah-aU=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qmFPKR0wokll5LzEGl7m33ZjNnU=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7puZB-QK-FXlWBwT2EhdbtZsuS0=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2ys7ogSjW5pzxzYIxvJ4gdtqrAM=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/svfDdbr0Cb-aDjXX4x3ufOjLibI=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mTdNwS_1YneKcy4GYYcmPzC2c9o=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/alrIe7kqJa2RpmNIzw27Mdjqmbk=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/VruKPLEI8SKqjefxKDZdeUPEibc=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aAbsLb3H3pxDuMegitsSWqjsEDM=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Workers in an oil field use equipment attached to the back of their truck to close an oil well." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zDrwMmrAWX9s7oZAgP1xNGsAsNA=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qVp5jycOnXQSXvsf50NFlRxwSi4=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/k268-k77z5nVGOH4jYfHtOzZVU4=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/De4RfR2Pxsmkn9tcNqEEosTiGn8=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5zL-HnLuQi62vRWBUTKdkEOkkXQ=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hy5kNVivszs40alh930Eq09j_uc=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i6TxeFdABb4UuxmVfCsyb2qMVWg=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bNL61nwIdTWFzAtjhItbbhnQ0yo=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9fo8_Hy_wBaqO-oQAw2CI3Ew92w=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EQIpCP3iYIhkVKmWZ9_fxQLwXI4=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389663/GettyImages_1238962650.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The federal government has allocated $4.7 billion in federal infrastructure dollars to plug abandoned wells in an effort to lessen adverse health and environmental impact.</figcaption>
<cite>Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images</cite></figure>
But the US, in the wake of an oil and gas boom, just so happens to have <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-drilling-abandoned-specialreport/special-report-millions-of-abandoned-oil-wells-are-leaking-methane-a-climate-menace-idUSKBN23N1NL">millions of oil and gas wells</a> sitting abandoned across the country. And oil and gas wells, it turns out, happen to share many of the same characteristics as geothermal wells — namely that they are deep holes in the ground, with pipes that can bring fluids up to the surface. So, the DOE asks, why not repurpose them?
<h3>What’s old is new again</h3>
That’s exactly what the agency’s pilot program, called <a href="https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/wells-opportunity-reamplify">Wells of Opportunity: ReAmplify</a>, aims to do, awarding a total of $8.4 million to four projects across the country that will each try to tap into some of those old wells to extract geothermal energy rather than gas or oil. If they work, they could be the key to not only reducing the country’s use of planet-damaging fossil fuels, but also helping answer the question of how to transition many of the <a href="https://www.bls.gov/iag/tgs/iag211.htm">more than 125,000 people</a> who work in oil and gas extraction across the country into clean-energy jobs.
“The idea here is basically that you produce oil and gas resources for a couple of decades, and at the end of the production of oil and gas, you don’t completely retire the assets — you turn them toward heat production,” said <a href="https://www.ou.edu/mcee/mpge/people/salehi">Saeed Salehi</a>, associate professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Oklahoma and the leader of one of the four groups receiving funding from the DOE. Oil and gas wells have a limited lifespan of a few decades, Salehi explained, after which they become depleted. Geothermal energy, if managed correctly, doesn’t have that problem. “The beauty is that this is a constant source of energy which is not going to change. It’s probably going to be [there] forever, as long as your well is functioning,” Salehi told Recode.
Salehi and his team at the University of Oklahoma want to use four wells owned by Blue Cedar Energy, a local company, for a concept called “direct use” — using hot water to heat nearby buildings. The water can either be extracted from existing underground reservoirs or, as the University of Oklahoma team is doing, pumped into the ground and brought back to the surface. Salehi and his team expect the water they pump into the wells to heat up to temperatures around 150 degrees Fahrenheit, after which it can be used to provide heating and cooling for an elementary and middle school located about a mile away from the wells, in the town of Tuttle.
“There’s a huge opportunity to use these wells for heating and cooling our communities,” said Lauren Boyd, program manager of the Enhanced Geothermal Systems program in the DOE’s Geothermal Technologies Office, which oversees the Wells of Opportunity grants. <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/homes.php">More than half</a> of the energy used by American households — only 7 percent of which came from renewable sources as of 2020 — goes toward heating and cooling. Using the millions of abandoned wells scattered around the country to switch the source of that heating and cooling to geothermal energy, then, could lead to a <a href="https://www.c2es.org/content/home-energy-use/#:~:text=On%20space%20heating%20alone%2C%20Americans,tons%20of%20carbon%20dioxide%20annually.">decrease</a> in greenhouse gas emissions.
<div class="c-float-right c-float-hang">
<aside><q>“There’s a huge opportunity to use these wells for heating and cooling our communities” —Lauren Boyd</q></aside>
</div>
Salehi and his team are focused on heating and cooling because converting energy from one form to another often leads to some energy getting lost in the process. Depending on the temperature of the water underground, “only probably about 10 percent of the energy you take out of the ground is going to come back as electricity,” said <a href="https://www.cheme.cornell.edu/faculty-directory/jefferson-w-tester">Jefferson Tester</a>, a professor of sustainable energy systems at Cornell University. “But if you do it with heat, you can get 90 plus percent, easily.”
That heat wouldn’t only be useful in the winter, either: in the summer, water from a geothermal well could be used to drive a machine called an <a href="https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/absorption-heat-pumps">absorption heat pump</a> to cool buildings, essentially extracting the heat from the building and putting it into the water. That water can then be pumped into underground reservoirs, which will store the extracted heat for the coming winter.
To be considered successful, the University of Oklahoma project has to produce at least one megawatt of energy in one year — a paltry sum in the grand scheme of energy, about a 10th of an <a href="https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/use-of-energy/electricity-use-in-homes.php">average American home’s annual energy consumption</a>. Salehi is confident they will easily surpass that goal. “Our intention is for these four wells to be used for at least the elementary and middle school,” Salehi said, “but based on the simulations and computational work we have done, it’ll be good enough for three schools.”
<h3>Can geothermal go the distance?</h3>
Some European countries already rely on direct use of geothermal energy on a large scale; Iceland, which is <a href="https://www.vox.com/2021/3/20/22341888/iceland-dormant-volcano-erupted-fagradalsfjall-reykjavik">famously volcanically active</a> (remember Eyjafjallajökull, which shut down European air travel for a few days in 2010?), uses its vast reserves of geothermal energy to heat <a href="https://nea.is/geothermal/direct-utilization/nr/91">90 percent</a> of its homes. But there are some drawbacks to direct use. Heat is quickly lost in transit unless pipes are well-insulated, explained Patrick Fulton, assistant professor of earth and atmospheric sciences at Cornell, so geothermal wells being tapped for direct use have to be near the buildings they’re going to service — usually within a few miles.
That distance limitation is why the three other projects receiving funding from this year’s DOE award are focusing on turning geothermal energy into electricity, which can travel much farther than heat. While wells located close to towns and cities may be better used for supplying heat through direct use, wells in remote areas might be better suited for generating electricity.
Take Transitional Energy, a Colorado-based company that received funding from the DOE to set up an electricity generation facility at the Blackburn oil field in Nevada. Unlike the other projects, Transitional will set up its operations on an oil field that’s still in operation — albeit at wells that have been in use for decades and produce very little oil. Most of what they produce, explained Johanna Ostrum, chief operating officer of transitional energy, is extremely hot wastewater, which is a natural byproduct of all oil and gas operations. “They’re just cycling a bunch of water through the system, trying to strip out negligible amounts of oil,” Ostrum told Recode.
<div class="c-wide-block">
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650358815_1338_238480" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23389688,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iSh-qU0DQSxIH0Ku2p2EAaxJASg=/0x0:7344x4896/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dcRgCxjKRpmbtLpoPg1ntGm3MnQ=/0x0:7344x4896/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BmYvIS2qRUZn9wqWqLehkp4izu4=/0x0:7344x4896/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gdUV7Tlvg21hMX-9DBEFG0csN9Q=/0x0:7344x4896/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KH3r4hToDQZgVI50FJyCn9SIROo=/0x0:7344x4896/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iXGFmJXy_nxXypQrddb0ZjsM5sc=/0x0:7344x4896/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9rRKaFGuWc4c5ioIfxTZAtniEBk=/0x0:7344x4896/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zCoxWGLsZ5g6EcyEbFvlkNZiW7Y=/0x0:7344x4896/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uAES7UE3UoyoJ9J9qLk8dcdBhTg=/0x0:7344x4896/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="A geothermal power plant in a snowy landscape." data-upload-width="7344" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Bll5WYk-TEf0HPW9Ewm7oZMDMqM=/0x0:7344x4896/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EK_iTVmsBsEFzMp3A4EneT7qlc0=/0x0:7344x4896/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RSI_lsOyzYT7EkNiIZeoEEFyGwA=/0x0:7344x4896/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yr-CO0n4zoYjFAZVuUrxoXkcHb0=/0x0:7344x4896/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nh7SFlgbEtdN-LMYOt5lYnzvnRI=/0x0:7344x4896/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/2PIbXdFvM4nGTatIXKjO2k7ExUw=/0x0:7344x4896/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Efrbkq9cCIgzeXKOaM1zuDwo2lk=/0x0:7344x4896/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/RhvhqjXW3ZwEBx19RwmrokoQ-e0=/0x0:7344x4896/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3W36uK1n3DLDlZcKO-pinm3tuPY=/0x0:7344x4896/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B8n1K_5Vp5G7OuA9dlG1EUvJkzE=/0x0:7344x4896/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:7344x4896):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389688/GettyImages_678123982_copy.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The Reykjanes geothermal power station in Iceland penetrates into one of deepest and hottest pits in the world, allowing the country to be nearly independent from fossil fuels.</figcaption>
<cite>Halldor Kolbeins/AFP via Getty Images</cite></figure>
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650358815_6470_238481" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23389928,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lxyZwfmN6rzf3Cu8xfUROxh5Diw=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1Oeo4zCmf-Z4e7U5h1zXEWVYZug=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/o-R9Fe4JEBl1b5iBEYkdZgc6lks=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WGgFEYUfBWKqjC15xzV4tuQwlMA=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yS-Rbq0XV8Zz4joEIcClI0g26lc=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U2cJuauqE0WdTH-I-IVqu3ZN1rg=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rMXFz274iIgGB-iKJeNcBk8TtAw=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QAzgHSE7pbw01yjYnATrE2Tx5mE=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6ifdVqi76eNnTtczRDp4PE49C1M=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1920w" sizes="90vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="Geothermal power plants emitting steam." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="90vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/NmnrUdJNtu8aecbPqIyr_tF0b_Q=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Br9r5XkCZHrDajGLEZ_E_G-my8o=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ci7_gqzNmf2YP8yV4MDn1UsZ_as=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/naZU8vZiwOkHi9nwubW8jQmtpjU=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nUnuScDCv_lesJJg__zu9-zjg24=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5YQIXWgPwJk72WqXZzLElkmFBSI=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/62nbgABG4V2zyi_nrKx-ruYauk4=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ySnD149QUAaVG6U-YQjcMN2G-KM=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rTBNPbbQ_64vqndIy5lKsisYDKE=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tu3xGPDa0dSYODpdqkhk-JNfW0w=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389928/GettyImages_1231148258_copy.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>The Imperial Valley Geothermal Project is a complex of 11 geothermal power stations located near the Salton Sea in Calipatria, California.</figcaption>
<cite>David McNew/Getty Images</cite></figure>
</div>
Once they’ve separated out the oil and gas, well operators spend <a href="https://insideclimatenews.org/news/24102021/california-oil-wastewater-produced-water-drought-groundwater-contamination/">considerable sums</a> cooling and <a href="https://www.vox.com/22891806/texas-earthquakes-oil-gas-drilling-wastewater-reinjection">disposing</a> of all that wastewater — and there’s often 10 times more of that water than extracted oil, Ostrum explained. Instead of letting that water — and its heat — go to waste, Transitional Energy plans to install machines called Organic Rankine Cycle Engines at the oil field that will turn that heat into electricity.
Organic Rankine Cycle Engines, which are about the size of walk-in refrigerators, work by passing hot water through a heat exchanger to heat a refrigerant, which then spins a turbine that creates electricity. The water cools down as it transfers its heat to the refrigerant, continuing onward down the path it would usually take out of the generator and into a disposal well; the refrigerant cools as it passes out of the turbine and past an air chiller, so it can be reused as the water keeps passing through the engine. At the Blackburn oilfield, where Transitional Energy is carrying out its test, that water will enter the same reservoir it came from — essentially creating a continuous loop of geothermal energy. “You take the same molecule of water and it just keeps going around and around, using the Earth as a radiator,” Ostrum said.
Like the University of Oklahoma project, Transitional Energy has a goal of generating at least one megawatt in a year — a goal Ostrum expects to hit by using the water from three to five wells. To begin with, the electricity generated will be used to provide power to an electric vehicle charger and operations at the oil field, which usually relies on local utilities or diesel generators to power machinery. It’s an alluring prospect for the operators of the oil and gas fields, Ostrum said; they see it as a way to take advantage of a heat resource that otherwise goes to waste.
In the short term, operating costs for the oil producers could go down, since they won’t have to depend on a utility to power their operations, and switching to geothermal energy would reduce the emissions involved in simply pumping oil and gas out of the ground. In time, Ostrum said, the goal would be for Transitional Energy to simply take over wells that no longer produce enough oil and gas to be economically viable and convert them entirely to geothermal operations.
<h3>A geothermal future</h3>
Ostrum is especially excited by the broader implications of her project. For one, Transitional Energy plans to connect electric vehicle (EV) chargers to their Rankine Cycle Engines. If scaled up, that could help expand rural EV charging, which is currently very limited — according to the Environmental and Energy Study Institute, the majority of rural areas and small towns have <a href="https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/beyond-cities-breaking-through-barriers-to-rural-electric-vehicle-adoption">no EV chargers at all</a>. More importantly, however, Ostrum thinks geothermal energy could create a new career path for oil and gas workers as the world transitions away from fossil fuels to clean energy.
“A lot of folks that I know work in oil and gas, and when we look at a decarbonized future, there’s not going to be jobs for those folks,” said Ostrum, who spent 15 years working in the oil and gas industry herself before losing her job during the pandemic. “I think geothermal is a really great place for them to land. Oil and gas workers know how to safely, efficiently, and economically produce fluid. They happen to be focused on the oil and gas part; I’m focused on the water part.”
Brett Dawkins, co-founder of Blue Cedar Energy, which owns the leases for the wells that will be used in the University of Oklahoma’s project in Tuttle, agrees. “All of the expertise that you would have as a petroleum engineer or a geologist will transfer over into the geothermal world,” Dawkins said.
Dawkins isn’t sure quite how much manpower would be needed to transition Blue Cedar Energy’s abandoned oil wells to geothermal energy. Ostrum, on the other hand, is confident workers at oil and gas wells would find new jobs extracting geothermal energy. “To keep the wells pumping or operating, we will need the same manpower that is used every day to run oil wells,” Ostrum wrote in an email. “The same amount of labor is needed to run an oil and gas well as to run a geothermal well.”
The possibility of generating a significant amount of energy from these abandoned wells is exciting. It’s still very much a nascent idea, though, so exploring its potential will take time. First, the projects need to prove their viability; the next year or so will be spent on planning and assessing the feasibility of turning oil wells into geothermal resources, after which energy generation will slowly ramp up. The biggest question is just how scalable these ideas are: One megawatt is, after all, a pittance compared to the country’s energy needs.
There are legislative hurdles to get around, as well. “One of the barriers I’ve been working on is the permitting,” said the DOE’s Boyd, who’s working with the National Renewable Energy Lab on a framework for transitioning an oil and gas lease to a geothermal lease. “Right now, it’s not straightforward,” Boyd told Recode. “There are some states that don’t even have geothermal regulations.”
<figure class="e-image"><picture class="c-picture" data-cid="site/picture_element-1650358815_4884_238482" data-cdata='{"asset_id":23389946,"ratio":"*"}'><source srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KqZv7ogTjqv6JkDAxsKvdJqP2bs=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v5vkCzErSE-tPf_ncbH_8F1kjes=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Id3bkIW912LD-B_kZSxc36ukkas=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6fhun023erN3zhGAmtb21Fv7W80=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/fGCWSujUTBzvITDzrZgDk0iIgCs=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S62tEERYWiuBspzPMQVF7x1X4Lk=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MD-wt1dIAOCI_69ARScB_xlM-Uk=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Kr_nFe-5ThKkxFYW08QWqvtltYg=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JEI-CXYyfxWTvaIHtW1pTOnUw9s=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1920w" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" type="image/webp" /> <img alt="An older man stands looking at weed-covered oil field equipment. An oil pump is in the background." data-upload-width="3000" sizes="(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/7sAwLeubDyaYKIyFBjp88AbG2l0=/0x0:3000x2000/1200x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg" srcset="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/B8UveH5Xh5XzoJ0wnuS1glADeyc=/0x0:3000x2000/320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yAvbNWJybUm9b4LPZuVPhhFMkHE=/0x0:3000x2000/520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5qUDD5CiiiOxWUCn7zo4tkijyio=/0x0:3000x2000/720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/6ksngL2KuB24h00gN8OlNHZJZIA=/0x0:3000x2000/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 920w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Hc1pMiA31IgRfnv6RrBD9SpxjCI=/0x0:3000x2000/1120x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1120w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/KRYBpvSjisZWLa4dZdJqGNZct-w=/0x0:3000x2000/1320x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1320w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/q1LkjbPZZRZF3C47_fjGi9pSmjQ=/0x0:3000x2000/1520x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1520w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/v61FRGRqfKMJJJylzjVBs6yn0K4=/0x0:3000x2000/1720x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1720w, https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8aVHhDyqL9ueAOaZ7TjjUadiLQI=/0x0:3000x2000/1920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3000x2000):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/23389946/GettyImages_512020640.jpg 1920w" /></picture>
<figcaption>Thousands of abandoned oil wells like these in Depew, Oklahoma, have leaked oil, natural gas, and brine into the soil.</figcaption>
<cite>J Pat Carter/Getty Images</cite></figure>
It’s also unclear how widely those concepts can be applied across the country. Not every abandoned oil and gas well is going to be viable for repurposing to geothermal energy, Boyd said. The infrastructure at some abandoned wells might be too degraded to use for geothermal energy without a significant investment in retrofits, for example, or the underground temperatures at some wells may not be high enough to use for geothermal energy. Then there’s the question of distance: Connecting remote wells to the grid could prove too cumbersome, or there might not be enough wells located close enough to communities to set up for direct use.
Even if everything else falls into place, the final stumbling block, at least for Salehi’s team, could come in the form of homes and businesses that simply aren’t set up to use geothermal energy for direct use. While the end-user experience for someone with a direct use connection is the same as that for someone with a traditional HVAC system — essentially, hot or cold air blowing through vents in rooms — turning geothermal heat into that hot or cold air requires installing heat pumps or heat exchangers, the cost of which could prove prohibitive.
Still, even with all the caveats, the ReAmplify projects hold a lot of promise for cleaner energy and a more equitable clean-energy transition; the point of the pilot, after all, is to be a proving ground. But if they work, said Cornell’s Tester, it’s important not to think of geothermal energy as a magic bullet. “It’s not just a one-size, geothermal can do it all [solution],” Tester told Recode. “I don’t think we should be saying that as a profession, and neither should solar or wind.”
Instead, Tester said, Americans need to start thinking about our energy needs as interconnected systems with multiple parts to the solution. Instead of relying on one power source for everything, we should use solar and wind energy to power our appliances and electric vehicles, for example, while relying on geothermal energy to heat and cool many of our homes.
That’s going to require a shift in how we think about our energy sources, Tester said. In most of the country, the oil and gas extracted from a well can go toward heating and cooling homes, running appliances, and powering our cars; for a decarbonized future, that will have to change. “I don’t think we’ve gotten into a state yet of thinking of these things as systems,” Tester said. “I think that’s what we have to weave into the American mindset. It’s going to be a game, I think, for everybody to get all the renewables working together.”
 
 
source <a href="https://www.vox.com/recode/23024204/geothermal-energy-heat-oil-gas-wells">https://www.vox.com/recode/23024204/geothermal-energy-heat-oil-gas-wells</a>

vox Clean energy is buried at the bottom of abandoned oil wells

This story is part of Recode by Vox’s Tech Support series, which explores solutions for our warming world. In case you missed it, our pla...