"It would be a tragic mistake for Congress ever to adopt any public or tax policy which encourages mothers to assign childcare to others and enter the labor force."
Phyllis Schlafly
"Not only has the historical lack of access to early learning and childcare programs been a problem for the educational success of Missouri children, it’s a workforce problem for families and businesses all across our state." Missouri Governor Mike Parson
It's election year, and the onslaught of political television ads is upon us, only getting worse as election day gets closer. Since Missouri is not a battleground state, much of the attention will come from the races for Jefferson City, including who will be the next governor to replace Mike Parson.
The ads so far seem to dwell entirely on the favorite boogeymen of the right at the moment- illegal immigrants and China. Serious proposals for more pressing issues like healthcare, infrastructure, or fentanyl are missing from the discussion.
I find this odd considering the reports earlier this year that Missouri has a growing, serious childcare problem. The Missouri Chamber of Commerce issued an alarming report on how much our dwindling childcare options are costing the state. According to them, the state's economy is losing $1.35 Billion each year due to the lack of providers. Parents (usually mothers) are forced to stay home and are unable to join the workforce without adequate childcare. Missouri has lost over 1100 childcare providers in the past 2 years, and 94 of its 114 counties are now considered childcare deserts.
That the problem has caught the attention of the Chamber and Governor should give everyone pause. This shortage hurts the next generation of workers as well as the current one, and prevents businesses from locating in Missouri. Not only has nothing concrete been done to address this issue, but Missouri's leaders are making things worse!
Consider this- due to low wages in the childcare field, some 20% of workers are believed to be immigrants, a large portion of which are undocumented. Deporting all of them, which our candidates have promised, will make providers even harder to find. (While also decimating the construction and farmworker labor pools.)
Missouri politicians are also pledging to toughen abortion restrictions, possibly including birth control and abortion pills. This will dump thousands of unwanted babies into the childcare system and force many more mothers to leave the job market or leave the state entirely. The abortion battles have convinced ob-gyn practitioners to leave the state or not even apply for residencies here, which has made most of our counties maternity care deserts.
I wish that Missouri legislators could somehow address the number one cause of teen and childhood deaths- guns. Or perhaps come up with solutions to fix the state's faulty Medicaid system that kicks thousands of children off of healthcare while making it too hard to get back on. And if Project 2025 gets implemented, as Missouri Republicans apparently back, the entire Department of Education will be eliminated, including school lunches, Head Start, and K-12 education supports. This is on top of the hits to Missouri public schools that will come from private school vouchers and property tax cuts.
Does Missouri hate children? No, but children are clearly not a top priority. They cost money to take care of and only provide benefits later. But an infinite number of problems can be prevented with the right kind of care in those precious first few years. We love the IDEA of children, but not the messy reality. People like Phyllis Schlafly were attached to the idea of stay-at-home mothers raising their children selflessly and happily, but that idea was always a pipe dream. It bears no relationship to the economic realities that today's parents face. Both parents today have to work to pay the bills in most instances, and grandma is not always an option for childcare.
Children are expensive and complicated, and raising the next generation is always a challenge. We owe it to them to do the best that we can. Sure, it would be great if all parents were competent and self-sufficient, but that's not the reality. Sometimes charities, relatives, and yes- the government, need to step in to help. We have to stop clinging to outdated perfectionistic ideas at the expense of the real needs of today's children.
We can start by not blaming the boogeymen for our problems, and coming together to find workable solutions that support parents in raising healthy, successful and happy children.
And now to see what hating children would look like, a scene from one of my childhood nightmares- The Child Catcher!
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