Share your childcare experiences

Moms Rising is one of my favorite activist organizations because they work hard and get real results in banning harmful chemicals from our families’ tables, passing legislation to protect children and take on other causes throughout the year. They also make it their priority to include parents and their stories and experiences in their campaigns, which I love so much. I don’t always agree with everything they do—I’m not in favor of early childhood programs that separate parents from kids, for example, and would much rather advocate benefits to help parents be able to stay with their young children longer!—but they really do great work overall.

Right now, Moms Rising is taking stories to tell Congress about how hard it is to find quality childcare. They want YOUR stories—the good, the bad, and the ugly—to share with our lawmakers who are usually completely out of touch with what it means to be a lower or middle class parent. You can send them via this form.

I have some horror stories from going to daycare in my youth. I was abused in a daycare when I was left alone with a mentally handicapped teen boy. I don’t remember the incident well but I do remember getting the shots for it afterward for the bites; it’s one of my earliest memories. I was also verbally abused by the workers, often had items stolen (including a jacket), and was generally miserable. I was only two or three years old, I believe. You can imagine how I’m not a supporter of daycare and why I chose to be a WAHM!

Feel free to share your daycare stories below. I know how hard it is to find affordable childcare; we rarely have date nights because of that, and I know many parents who barely make enough to cover it to make it even worth working. Tell Congress what it’s like for your family.

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