2016 Presidential Election The Candidates and Their Child Care Positions By: Robin Schmidt Child Care Center Director

It's not very often that I hear the words "child care proposal" on the news, much less as the lead story on the national cable news channels. As the owner and operator of a small child care center, I paid close attention when I did hear them. I was surprised by the flood of coverage. A panel of political pundits were actually discussing child care on the morning live broadcast. Did my ears deceive me? Were both of the major party candidates actually putting forth plans on how to deal the "problem" of child care? Yes, they were. Specifically, the Republican nominee Donald Trump had delivered a speech that touted his proposals. Of course, Democratic pollsters were countering by outlining Secretary Clinton's proposals, that had been put forth over a year ago. Funny, I'd never heard much discussion of child care from presidential candidates before. So why now? This is an issue that generally doesn't get much attention from the national press. Sadly, it IS a topic that gets a lot of attention from working parents. As a center Director, I find myself frequently hearing about the challenges of finding quality care. Here are some of the childcare issues I hear about the most.

1. Availability. Some centers that are very convenient, or well-known and liked, are simply always full. When looking for infant care, some parents have told me they had to secure a spot as soon as they found out they were pregnant. Expensive deposits, lengthy application and interview processes and excessively long waiting lists are the norm for popular child care facilities. Simply finding a care facility that has an opening can definitely be a parents #1 challenge.

2. Quality Care. It can be a challenge to find a child care arrangement where parents feel their child is receiving top quality care. They are looking for curriculums that are proven and well rounded. They want the staff to be highly trained, and the program to have certain accreditations and star ratings. They are looking for centers with child development and guidance philosophies that match theirs. Even things like types of food served, extra activities and transportation are serious issues parents consider when determining what kind of care they want for their child. Finding a center that has all the components of quality care or special programs a parent wants can be difficult.

3. Affordability. This is the big one. Child care is enormously expensive for most working families. Costs vary widely across regions. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral , the average cost of child care for children under 5 is around $11,667 per year. (1.) in some cases, the cost of professional child care centers forces many families to have one parent stay home with their young children, or rely on the kindness of family, friends and others for care arrangements. Subsidies are generally available to families needing assistance paying for child care, but these programs are mainly administered by the individual states and require a significant ellegibility and application process. Long waiting lists and funding issues. A recent article in the Sarasota Herald Tribune outlined some of the issues securing funding and having enough centers with availability to participate. (2.)

Considering these three concerns; availability, quality and price, it's not hard to understand why this is an important issue to voting parents. Understanding why it is suddenly an issue to this year's candidates is another matter entirely different matter. In an election cycle as strange and controversial as this one, child care proposals seem like they would hardly make news. With terrorism, immigration and economic policies so red hot right now, I'm amazed it got any press at all! The politicization of childcare is something new for 2016. How well do the candidates main points match up with the real-life concerns I hear from parents?

With this topic appearing on most of the major networks, it prompted me to read both candidates platforms on the topic and judge for myself. Did either one address all the issues? Are there any solid proposals put forth? Does any of it sound plausible, practical or passable by Congress? I went through the "official" platforms. They can be found at www.DonaldJTrump.com and www.HillaryClinton.com. I also browsed through the political punditry, to see what both conservative and liberal commentators alike were saying about their candidates or their opponent’s proposals, but as usual in politics, both sides seemed to be putting the best possible spin on the issue. While there are two other candidates running, I choose not to include Gary Johnson or Jill Stein in my inquiries. I don't think either one has a chance of actually winning, so I decided to keep it simple.

Nothing I heard or read sounded very impressive. As a center owner, I wasn't very impressed. As a parent and future grandparent, I also wasn't impressed. As an employer, I definitely wasn't impressed. In full disclosure, I am a lifelong Independent. While I did see things in Secretary Clinton's proposals that I found to be more in line with my social, economic and political leanings, I didn't see much substance in either candidate's plan. This article isn't meant to endorse one plan or candidate over the other. I'll leave that conclusion to the voters. I'm merely examining the politicization of the issue, from the standpoint of an Early Childhood education service provider.

So how did these plans address the concerns I see effecting parents? Mrs. Clinton's plan does seem to address all 3 areas of concern. She does propose increased availability by making more on-site child care centers for large employers and educational facilities like colleges. She does address quality by proposing increased grants and subsidies to improve programs, facilities and staff training. She also addresses affordability by proposing bolstering state aid to parents and tax credits, and funding national universal free prekindergarten for 4 year olds. How all this is to be passed and funded by Congress remains to be seen. As with many democratic proposals, it relies heavily on federal money and tax increases. (3.)

The plan from Mr. Trump is equally problematic. It seems to propose tax incentives to stay at home with young children, equaling the deductions taken by working parents paying child care tuitions. It also seeks to guarantee 6 weeks paid maternity leave by supplying federal unemployment benefits to all new mothers by "eliminating unemployment fraud". I could not find any of his proposals that address availability or quality. Like other conservatives, his policies seem to mirror the notion that children staying home with mothers is best for both. It also focuses mainly on tax deductions and eliminating fraud. (4.) Again, congressional gridlock is a huge obstacle.

So did either of these candidates really win any votes by politicizing the "problems" of childcare? Not really, in my opinion. It's also my opinion that the real "problem" isn't being addressed. Yes, childcare price tags are high. But in reality, aren't the wages too low? Aren't stagnant wages, lack of employer benefits and sky high rents the real issues? Yes, there is a shortage in the availability of quality child care centers. But in reality, this is a largely private industry, and transforming it into a large government agency that provides free care to all, is wildly unrealistic. I think the recent political attention surrounding childcare misses the mark entirely. Quality care, that is both available and affordable is an issue that parents will continue to struggle with under the Presidency of either candidate.

What is to be gained, then, by all the attention given to the politics of child care lately? It's convenient and comforting to think "Well, it's raising awareness and putting the issues of childcare for working parents in the spotlight." But I don't believe the moms and dads that are struggling with finding and affording care need to have their awareness raised. They are very aware, every Friday when they write the check for next week's care. These programs aren't impressive enough to warrant any parent changing their minds about who they will actually vote for. Instead, I see parents still being left to wonder which candidate will likely bring them higher wages, increased economic opportunities, upward mobility and benefits to their children's education.

As a provider, I see only more promises of government programs, subsidies and grants. I see few ideas that would revolutionize the industry, or provide more opportunities to expand or hire. I wish it were different, but none of these proposals have much meat on the bones. Ultimately, it seems as though the cards are still being largely held by the individual States and private industry, something mostly out of the control of Congress, the President and the federal government anyway. In conclusion, the recent politicization of child care issue seemed to be a passing trend, meant to grab headlines for a day, and not backed p with many new ideas after all.

No matter how you feel about these candidates, this election or the sudden political interest in childcare, please exercise your right to vote this November.

Robin Schmidt
Child Care Center Director

Photo credits Hillary Clinton official website and Charisma News

1. http://www.babycenter.com/0_how-much-youll-spend-on-childcare_1199776.bc
2. http://www.heraldtribune.com/20160905/for-child-care-long-waiting-lists-getting-longer
3. https://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/early-childhood-education/
4. https://www.donaldjtrump.com/positions/child-care-reforms-that-will-make-america-great-again