US voters seek help with crushing childcare costs

For Maggie Ficco, a working mother from the US state of Pennsylvania, the issue of childcare is more than just an electoral talking point: it's a constant source of stress, as costs rise and day care capacities shrink.

"Our monthly childcare payment is about the same amount of money as our mortgage on our house," the 31-year-old special education teacher told AFP in an interview at her home just outside Philadelphia.

Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris has vowed to institute a tax credit for young parents if elected. Republican Donald Trump's running mate, J.D. Vance, has offered legislative tweaks while also saying families should rely more heavily on relatives.

Politics have left Ficco feeling disappointed, she said, adding that she hasn't yet decided between Harris or Trump in this crucial swing state that might decide the November election.

She'd like to see the candidates "really" commit to addressing childcare -- an issue that experts say has ballooned into a serious economic problem in the United States, and one that critics argue politicians aren't taking seriously enough.

Ficco says that right now, "we make 'too much' for state assistance, but we can't quit one of our jobs -- because then we wouldn't be able to pay our bills."

"We don't have lavish, outlandish things. We don't go on crazy vacations," Ficco added. "We need groceries and our house payment and our car payment -- and our childcare payment."

"That's all we can afford right now."

- Shrinking supply -

According to a recent Chamber of Commerce report, "the childcare barrier" in the country has resulted in six million unemployed workers, and 1.6 million more who want jobs but have largely given up looking.

"It prevents many parents from participating in the workforce," the trade group reported.

And those who drop out of the workforce to care for children can suffer.

"Studies show that leaving the workforce to care for children penalizes women, often in the form of lower wages and missed promotions," it added.

Margie Sebastiani, the director of Sonshine Christian Academy where Ficco takes her daughter, said childcare centers also feel the heat.

"Parents are being charged more than what they could possibly pay, and that still doesn't cover the true cost of childcare," she told AFP.

Salaries are low, making recruitment hard. In response, Sebastiani's center had to close two of its ten classrooms -- and turn prospective families away.

During the height of the pandemic, President Joe Biden's administration injected $24 billion in aid into struggling institutions like Sebastiani's.

But "there is no more funding coming," she said. And without renewed help, "more childcare centers are going to close."

The number of licensed childcare centers in Pennsylvania has dropped in recent years, going from 7,000 facilities in January 2020 to 6,400.

- Long waiting lists -

Even with aid available to low-income families, some parents simply can't pay, said Leslie Spina, who directs Kinder Academy, a network of five childcare centers in Philadelphia.

"They have to decide, do I pay for my child's asthma medication? Do I buy food? Or do I pay the co-pay to come into my childcare?"

In one of Spina's centers, the waiting list is two times longer than the day care's capacity.

April Washington, an administrative worker at a university, said she had to wait nearly 18 months for a spot to open up for her three-year-old daughter.

In the meantime, she found one stop-gap solution after another, as the stress piled up.

"Unfortunately, it puts you in a space where you have to compete against other families," she said.

- 'We need help' -

Harris said she aims to rein in childcare costs to seven percent of family budgets, as it currently skyrockets to 10, 15, and sometimes even more than 20 percent across the nation.

She has proposed a $6,000 tax credit for young parents, but has yet to detail specifics.

Trump remains even vaguer on the issue, arguing tariff hikes would provide relief for families that would trickle down -- a conclusion many economists are wary of.

His running mate Vance has argued red tape around childcare certification is driving up costs, while also sparking backlash for suggesting that "maybe like, grandma or grandpa wants to help out a little bit more."

Vance also suggested boosting a childcare credit that already exists.

Carol Austin, who directs the childcare advocacy organization First Up, said neither candidate is addressing the shortage of centers and caretakers.

"Tax credits aren't enough to fill the supply side," she said. "The people who are providing this service need money."

Sebastiani echoed the sentiment: "We need help."