At three months old, my son was kicked out of his daycare.

I had spent my pregnancy navigating my city’s brutal child care landscape — posting on social media looking for nanny shares, adding my name to year-long waitlists, and wondering how I was going to pay the astronomical daycare fees.

So when I found this place, I felt a flood of relief. It was close to my job, half the cost of others in the area, and had a gold star recommendation from a friend of a friend. It seemed like a unicorn amidst daycares. It seemed like the perfect fit.

Yet less than a week after I returned to work, I received a call asking me to pick up my son because he was crying too much. The next day, same call. After a few days I was told “it was not a good fit.” I had until the end of the month.

I had exhausted my PTO and depleted my savings in an attempt to offset the costs of my unpaid leave. I don’t have family nearby. I’m a single mom working in healthcare unable to work remotely or stay home full time. And I had no idea where I was going to send my three month old son during the day while I worked.

I sent out desperate pleas to mom groups in my area and eventually, through the power of the moms in my community, I found the daycare he now attends.

I love this daycare. However, it costs more than my rent — it puts a $1,600 deficit in my monthly budget. So with each passing month I fall further behind on car payments, student loans, utilities. And every day I field calls from debt collectors.

All of this is due to the cost of child care.

When I started sharing my story with friends, coworkers, and random moms on the playground,  I quickly learned that I’m not alone. Almost every mom I know has a story like this. They’ve been juggling budget deficits to afford care, pleading for financial aid, adding their names to yearlong wait lists, reducing their work hours, or cutting their careers short.

The details vary, but the common thread is this: Child care costs are unsustainable. 

One night, up late with a teething baby, I fell down a Google rabbit hole, reading about countries with policies that truly support moms and families. Sweden offers 16 months of paid parental leave. Norway provides leave specifically for parents caring for a sick child. Canada is initiating $10 a day child care. Portugal has free child care for all regardless of income.

This late night rabbit hole affirmed what I already knew in my gut: moms in the U.S. are struggling due to systemic issues and policy failures. And it does not have to be this way.

In my 13 months of motherhood, I’ve already witnessed the power moms have when we band together. It was moms that helped me secure a last minute daycare spot. It was moms who recently gathered at a local park to swap baby gear in response to rising prices.

And it will be moms who demand more from our policymakers when it comes to the accessibility of child care in our country.

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