Public Policy Information:  Mothers Speak Out On Child Care

Editor's Note: The following is adapted from Mothers Speak Out On Child Care (MSOOCC), a policy concept paper published by Mothers At Home (1989) in response to the national debate about the needs of children.
 

Legislators under pressure to end the nation's child care woes may be rushing to give America's mothers precisely what they do not want. The fact is, as political cries for  "more quality child care" reach a near-deafening level, millions of women are quietly looking toward another kind of solution to their needs. They are looking for creative work options that allow them to rear their own children. Whether they choose to pull back from full-time work to part-time, open a home-based business, or quit employment altogether while their children are young, the motivation for most mothers remains the same -- to keep their children out of full-time child care.

Yet, political leaders, perhaps unaware of this trend, are ready to provide mothers with exactly the kind of care they are trying to avoid. Sought out by various child care advocates -- representing business, labor, social services, and education -- many legislators have considered the advice of everyone except the very group whose interests they seek to promote: this nation's mothers.

In 1988, Mothers At Home surveyed the readers of its monthly journal, Welcome Home, on the topic of child care. The response was overwhelming, and revealed that today's mothers are immensely concerned about the feasibility of caring for their children at home. Other surveys of our readership demonstrate that these mothers are widely diverse in their political orientation, religious values, family income, educational attainment, career choices, and other demographic categories. Contrary to media presentation, the decision a mother makes to be at-home, through any means, is not based on a narrow cluster of personal characteristics. Rather, it is a deeply felt personal decision which originates in a mother's awareness and response to her child(ren)'s needs, and her desire to expand her time nurturing them.

Our continued correspondence from mothers across the nation, which includes both those in and out of the paid workforce,  strongly indicates that  mothers want the establishment of economic incentives and social support for those parents who prefer to rear their own children, and the opportunity for flexible employment choices and later career reentry.

Here are some of the suggestions mothers told us would make a difference:
 

• Provide tax relief for families with children.
• Reduce the tax burden on families in general.
• Increase the amount of the personal exemption.
• Make the current Dependent Care Tax Credit equitable - extend to all families with dependent children.
• Encourage Family-Friendly Employment Practices
• Increase the availability of part-time, job-share, and telecommuting positions.
• Increase the availability of flex-time (or flexible schedule) jobs.
• Support adequate leave policies for the care of children or other family members who are ill.
• Establish creative options for mothers on maternity leave, including fair job reentry opportunities.
• Provide health insurance benefit options for part-time employees.
• Establish Better Opportunities for Home-Based Businesses and Employment
• Cut the "red tape" for home-based employment.
• Support the development of home-based businesses through tax law changes, improvement in zoning and commercial regulations, loan support, and availability of business advice.
• Encourage banks to examine ways to help home and small businesses.
• Create job banks and other resources for individuals interested in earning an income at home.
• Make health insurance available and affordable to those who are self-employed.
• Encourage the formation of home and small business cooperatives or networks to enable them to provide health insurance, or purchase other resources, more affordably than they might otherwise be able.
• Improve Homemaker Security and Opportunity
• Encourage employers to recognize the skills that are developed outside of paid employment when making hiring decisions about parents re-entering the labor force.
• Make education and career/job training accessible and affordable to at-home mothers who are preparing for work reentry.
• Increase opportunities for homemaker retirement savings.
• Reform divorce law to protect the rights of homemakers and the needs of children.
• Strengthen Family Economic Security
• Encourage housing affordability both in new home construction and in mortgage lending.
• Create insurance options that include disability insurance for parents who are the primary caregivers to their children.
• Expand tax-free savings programs that encourage savings for family home purchase to pay for the expenses of rearing children, especially when family income drops due to one or both parents cutting back on paid employment.
• Help Communities to Support Families
• Encourage businesses and other public places to be accessible to families.
• Recognize the important role of parent-led support groups and local associations in mentoring new parents and include them in community discussion and policy initiatives.
• Make community space available for parent groups free of charge or at a low cost, and advertise its availability to the local community for supporting parent educational exchanges.
• Help prepare the younger generation to successfully handle family responsibilities.