How inaccessible childcare affects families and early childhood educators

A mother kisses her child while working on her laptop.

By Katie Romas

Master of Public Health student, Environmental Health Sciences

March 7, 2025

In two out of three married-couple families with children, both parents are employed, according to 2023 data from the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. The unfortunate reality is that many of these households do not have access to reliable or affordable quality childcare. The scope of this burden widens when considering single-parent families where that parent is employed or working non-standard hours. These families and others who require childcare regularly may face an extremely difficult choice between providing for and being with their families. 

Stress related to childcare accommodations can contribute to mental health issues and burnout among working parents. It is often compounded by stressors surrounding economic and/or housing instability and food insecurity. 

While COVID-19 illuminated issues with the childcare industry on a global scale, this crisis is not new. Like many other crises, inaccessible and poor-quality childcare widens social and health inequities. Many families of color and low-income families feel the childcare burden more heavily than their white, well-off counterparts. 

Health effects on children and parents

Children who receive safe, engaging care with access to nutritious foods are more likely to have positive outcomes throughout childhood, such as building meaningful social and professional relationships, as well as increased academic achievements and cognitive ability. Reliable, safe care also provides peace of mind for the parents, alleviating stress throughout the child’s life. Conversely, poor childcare has been shown to have negative long-term developmental outcomes, such as increasing immediate risks like physical harm as well as long-term risks like poor diet.

Childcare costs can also impose significant financial stress on families. In Wayne County, Michigan, childcare costs are equivalent to 40% of a minimum wage worker’s income. 

Compounding childcare-related stress on top of parental and workplace pressures can drain parents mentally, physically, and emotionally. When parents are focused on ensuring that basic needs are met, they may detach emotionally from their children and have difficulty engaging with them. Over time, this lack of healthy interaction crucial to child-parent bonding may lead to a breakdown of positive family relationships and cause harmful ripple effects that persist into young adulthood. 

For some families, insufficient access to childcare compromises their ability to work. High levels of stress can manifest in mental and physical illnesses, which in turn affect the ability of the caregiver to work and care for children, thus becoming a vicious cycle of improper care and burnout. Hardships in obtaining childcare are directly linked to decreased maternal employment.

Early childhood educator burnout 

Current childcare systems are not only stressful for parents and primary caregivers, but also for those who work in early childhood education. In Michigan, approximately 20% of early childhood educators live below the poverty line. Across the United States, early childhood educators get paid substantially less than their counterparts who teach elementary school-age children. 

The high-strain and low-compensation reality of careers in early childhood education have pushed many people out of and away from the field, creating childcare deserts in areas that need it the most. Practitioners work tirelessly to engage our nation’s most precious resource. They are constantly moving, monitoring, encouraging, and teaching children throughout the day. They handle mealtimes, playtimes, bathroom breaks, and tantrums with calm energy and positive demeanor. Educators work long hours for little pay and are massively underappreciated for the work they do, especially since the quality of the foundational care they provide has direct correlations with childhood developmental outcomes. 

For many, the lack of resources and consistent staffing shortages in the industry have contributed to high rates of burnout. 

Lasting effects of the COVID-19 pandemic

During and after the pandemic, many childcare providers struggled to stay open. The centers had to balance keeping children healthy with taking on enough clients to pay their bills. 

Temporary closures and fluctuating enrollment capabilities also caused economic instability for working parents. Parents had to take on the burden of schooling and supervision when their school-age children were at home. 

For students, online learning meant decreased attention spans, engagement, learning, and social connection. The effects of this period of online learning will be tracked for years to come. 

The absence of safe, affordable, and reliable childcare is plaguing families around the globe with heavy economic burdens, undue stress, and relentless workloads. This absence further widens socioeconomic and racial disparities. 

Childcare-related stress negatively affects parents, children, early childhood educators, and the workforce at large. Workplaces need to recognize the significant impact this stress can have on an employee's mental health and well-being, subsequently affecting the company’s success and employee satisfaction. Employers should strive to understand and implement employee assistance programs to alleviate this burden. 

We must address the issue of childcare and early childhood development collectively as a national problem. We cannot continue to place the onus of navigating these issues solely on families. We must invest at the societal level in the non-family childcare workforce by increasing wages and improving working conditions to attract and retain skilled early childhood educators who can raise the quality of care and education. Investing in our children is investing in our future.

About the Author

Katie Romas headshotKatie Romas is an active duty Coast Guard Officer currently pursuing a Master of Public Health degree in Environmental Health Sciences with a concentration in Industrial Hygiene at the University of Michigan. When not focused on her studies, Romas dedicates her time to her two energetic toddlers who keep her on her toes and bring joy to her busy life.

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