Americans rely on grandmas to fill the childcare gap

But her youngest son is only one, and her daughter is only 4. Leaving them for more than a week to attend sessions on their own just isn’t feasible, says Chen, CEO and co-founder of LA-based Autopilot Review. fortune. Until his father-in-law entered.

Since the birth of her grandchildren, Ana Léniz Mezzano—”Ani” to her family—has spent several months away from her life in Santiago, Chile, to spend with her son and daughter-in-law, and two children. “I love being a grandmother,” Mezzano said. “It’s a reward.”

Mezzano, who still works as a nurse, spent three months with Chen when her first daughter was born. And when his grandson was born, he came back to live with the family and help. “I have a great bond with him,” Mezzano said of his grandchildren, but added that it was a challenge not to live closer.

“After giving birth – I had a very difficult C-section [Ani] here it’s just precious because he’s a comfort to my older son, and I can trust him with the new baby,” Chen said.

These days when Mezzano arrives, Chen says he’s busy with lectures, work trips, and Harvard classes. “I make the most of the time he’s here because it’s fun for the kids to be here,” he said.

“My mother-in-law is one of the reasons I was able to have a career,” Chen said, noting that the support of Mezzano’s nanny allowed him to make conference titles and get into the classroom. “This is the biggest game changer.”

Mezzano’s trip from Chile to LA to take care of his grandchildren may seem extraordinary, but grandparents — especially grandparents — routinely fill the caregiving gap for their families.

In fact, 42% of working parents rely on grandmothers to take care of their children, according to a new survey for International Women’s Day conducted by The Harris Poll among more than 2,000 US adults.

And when there’s a child care problem—such as a school or daycare closing or when a child is sick at home—four out of 10 parents with children under 18 rely on unpaid grandmother help, the survey found. In many cases, grandmothers provide this care at the cost of time and financial security.

But with many Americans struggling to find affordable child care, grandmothers provide critical support to their families and the broader economy. Without mostly unpaid or unpaid help, many working parents will be forced to make the difficult choice of stepping back from their professional lives to care for their children.

Most, 92%, of Americans believe that grandmothers make a significant economic contribution through the childcare they provide. In addition, about 83% said that without this treatment the American economy would suffer.

Without grandma’s help, more working parents would feel the pinch

Colorado-based Kiki McGough says she always looks forward to the day she can become a grandmother. With a background as an early childhood special education teacher, McGough felt she could help her daughter and son-in-law navigate the child care system.

But when her granddaughter’s care suddenly failed at eight months old, McGough, her daughter, and son-in-law were left to fend for themselves. “We’re sticking to the schedule,” McGough said, but admits much of the burden is on him, even though he’s still working.

Not only does she watch her granddaughter before and after daycare three days a week, she also watches her two days a week in the evenings when daycare isn’t available. But with her son-in-law traveling for work and her daughter, a teacher, on a tight schedule, it’s the only way she can keep her job.

Still, it can be a challenge to juggle—especially for grandparents. McGough would wake up at 6 a.m. so she could pick up her granddaughter and drive her to daycare because her daughter and son-in-law had to go to work before the center opened. Usually McGough also takes care of the pick-up. Not only that, he is on call for holidays and sick days.

“I would call in sick to work to watch my granddaughter because my job was more flexible than my daughter’s schoolwork,” McGough said. “All of this is at no cost to my son because the cost of the early childhood program is comparable to college in Colorado.”

With high costs and long waiting lists, it’s not uncommon for grandmothers to regularly provide childcare so parents can work. About 4 in 5 working parents who rely on a grandmother to care for their children say that support allows them to achieve their career goals, according to the Harris survey. About 67% of working parents said there was a time when they lost their job without the help of a grandmother to help them.

Without the unpaid child care provided by grandmothers, 72% of working Americans say their ability to work would be affected. 20% of working parents who rely on unpaid childcare report they would have to stop working without this support.

But not without challenges. McGough said he was lucky enough to be safe enough to help. “It’s not like I’m going to pay to take my grandson to school or pick him up on a Friday afternoon. I’m probably in a better situation than other grandparents. But it’s a financial burden.

It’s not just a financial challenge. Yvonne Franklin, who has helped take care of her grandchildren and now helps raise her great nephew, said many times childcare comes at the expense of her own time.

“I already have a plan, and something happens with my grandchild or nephew, and I have to change my plan to take care of them – unfortunately, my plan has to take a back seat.”

Fixing the childcare crisis has a ripple effect

Since the beginning of the pandemic, many advocates, politicians, and parents have emphasized that the child care crisis is an economic problem, as well as a personal challenge facing many American families.

Without stable and quality childcare, parents cannot maximize their productivity at work. Children are not getting the foundation they need to succeed. And, perhaps not discussed, grandparents and other family members risk their financial, physical, and mental health to bridge the gap.

Overall, the lack of adequate child care for infants and young children across the country is now estimated to cost $122 billion annually in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue.

Even if parents have the money to pay for childcare, finding a provider is a challenge. Seven out of 10 child care centers are not opening as many slots as they should, according to a November report from the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC).

In total, about 12.3 million children in the U.S. have working parents, but there are only 8.7 million licensed child care slots, according to the Child Care Aware of America report. That leaves a potential gap of about 3.6 million points.

The pandemic, of course, did not help the situation. Thousands of providers are closing their doors permanently, while many others remain open, but struggle with operating costs and staff shortages, as well as changing regulations and protocols.

However, the childcare crisis could worsen as pandemic-era stabilization grants to providers start to run out this year. That, in turn, can put more pressure on grandparents.

Jacqueline Enriquez looks forward to traveling in retirement. But childcare can easily become a full-time gig.

“My son is two years old now, and I have taken care of him since he was a baby until he was six months old. [because] we are struggling to find daycare for him,” said Enriquez. “The choice is: Do I have my son out of work and have no income, or do I make sacrifices and just try to find a part-time job and take care of him?”

For most grandparents, it’s not a question. He will continue to sacrifice for his children, no matter how old they are.