Family and Childcare Issues for Single Head of Households Essay

baby c ar issues greatly shine families in the low-income bracket. This means families earning less than 200% of p overty. Pargonnts in this category usually find themselves less able to lead productive breaks in coitus to retaining lockment. Disruptions in work schedules, including exactly not limited to absenteeism occur when p argonnts are unable to provide adequate chela bring off or are unable to access kidskin deal out programs.With the rising cost of living, providing tyke tending remains an uphill task for the low income families. Government interventions in providing affordable tiddler flush programs provide a relief for the working families in the low-income bracket. This enables the families secure their current jobs since high absenteeism and work related interruptions usually leads to loss of jobs and consequently loss of income and a resultant entrapment in poverty. birth surrounded by boor Care Assistance and craftCost of babe awe to low-income fa miliesThe greatly affected parent in nestling care issues is the mother. In event that the mother in the low-income bracket happens to be the cutting edge of the household the issues become more compounded.However when the low-income mother pop outs access to squirt care jump out programs she is the more likely to get occupied, retain battle, be self-reliant and consequently lead a better quality life. in that location is extendd incidence of working unity low-income mothers in recent years. With over 60 % of poverty stricken families with sisterren working, the need for affordable fry care programs is a necessity. Approximately 64% of the single, low-income mothers with tykeren under six year are employed (Matthews, 2006. p.1).In the low-income bracket families spend 25% to 50% of their income on infant care. Child care cost is not static but varies with the quality, type and certainly the particular country. In the U.S pincer care for a four year old child is in the range between $3,016 to $9,628 while that of an infant ranges from $3,803 to $13,480 in a year.This is above the affordability of the low-income single mother. In particular communities in the U.S the low-income families without access to child care programs can scantily afford over 10% of the subsidized child care provided in their community (Matthews, 2006. p.2). In some counties the cost of child care endorse vie the annual income of a single parent household is 56% (Contra Costa Child Care Council, 2003. p.1).The impact of the lack of reliable child care on employers cannot be neglected. Work related interruptions such as employee absenteeism have a direct negative impact on the organizations that employ the affected single parents. In 1998 these interruptions cost the U.S employers about $3 trillion in lost revenue.Employee absenteeism as a result of child care issues results to an average of dickens days of work lost per year. Whereas about 65% of employees report late or deviate early resulting to lost man-hours as a result of child care issues. In some states 20% of parents have had problems retaining utilisation, or securing employment as a result of child care problems, while about 37% have lost man-hours callable to the same problem (Matthews, 2006. p.2).It is evident that a vast majority of the low-income families are engaged in jobs that do not offer paid leave or flexible work hours. This compounds the problem when the single parent has to discharge their pay to attend to child care issues. This means that the costs, financial and otherwise, of child care are an impediment to women empowerment bearing in question that they are the most likely to be directly affected by loss of income due to child care issues (Matthews, 2006. p.2).Child Care and Women professionProvision of child care enables the single parent to get employment or retain current employment. If single heads of households received full support for child care, it would incr ease by 15% the proportion of working women and by 14% of the proportion of working low-income women earning approximately 185% of the poverty level.Access to child care support programs has a direct relationship to access to employment including employment retention to single heads of households. Single mothers with young children are 40% more likely to retain employment in the event that they get access to child care programs. The chance of employment in the low-income single mothers category increases by approximately 15% in the event that they receive child care support (Matthews, 2006. p.3).Need for Child Careto a greater extent often that not, single heads of households need to work away from home therefore creating the need for child care from outside the family set-up. In the view of this access to child care centers becomes a necessity. Child care centers fall into two basic categories namely the licence and the non- accredited.Licensing child care centers ensures that mi nimum acceptable standards for child care are met and consequently maintained. However the child care provided from the childs home exempt from the licensing requirements although it is deemed as legal. The unlicensed child care service providers operate in violation of the law (Oklahoma Child Care, 2005. p.6).In states like Oklahoma for instance, 58.7% of children below thirteen years live in households headed by a single parent. In the view of this a huge number of these children (above 300,000) need child care on a daily basis. Due to the lack of adequate and affordable licensed child care facilities families rely on other service providers other than the licensed child care centers. These other service providers include family members, neighbors and the unlicensed child care centers. Single parents with infants are less fortunate since the operational licensed child care centers are hesitant in admitting infants (Oklahoma Child Care, 2005. p.6-10).In Contra Costa County, child ren below five years of age living in households headed by a single parent account for 17% of the match number of children. However the available child care centers are overwhelmed by the numbers of children in need of these facilities. The licensed child care available can only cater for 32% of the total number of children with employed parents. That creates a deficit of 68% who may only access child care from the unlicensed child care centers and other service providers. drop of adequate facilities to cater for the children with special needs aggravates the problem (Contra Costa Child Care Council, 2003. p.1).Effect of Child Care Support on EmploymentIn general single parents who get access to child care facilities are more productive at their work places working for long-dated hours and hence increasing their earnings. However single parents who access the subsidized child care programs achieve over 100% increase earning with 50% increase in the total number of months engaged in productive work. It has been prove that access to subsidized child care programs is directly related to increased job retention among the beneficiary single parents. While there is 25% to 43% likelihood of decrease in job losses among the beneficiaries of the subsidized child care programs (Matthews, 2006. p.4).It is evident that the cost of child care drains the income in particular of the single parent in that it accounts for more than the proportion of the income that caters for rent, mortgages, and the cost of true quality college education (Oklahoma Child Care, 2005. p. 2).