Jasmine Davis and her husband Kiemoni are raising two toddlers, a one-year-old and three-year-old who love Princess Tiana, Winnie the Pooh, and being read stories.
Their family moved to Atlanta from Baltimore while pregnant with their first child in 2022, transferred by their jobs as support specialists at a technology company. They were ready to build their life together in a new city. Far away from family support, the family started researching scholarships for child care, a cost that, even with their salaries, was too expensive for them to afford.
The hidden cost of child care
In Georgia, the cost of child care for an infant or toddler now exceeds the cost of annual tuition at an in-state public college or university. According to the ALICE Essentials Index, the cost of child care has outpaced inflation, increasing 63% from 2007 to 2023. For child care to be considered “affordable,” U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says families should aim to spend less than 7% of their household income on it. Meanwhile, Jasmine received quotes upwards of $2000 per month, per child.
For many families like Jasmine’s, that math doesn’t add up—and it’s costing parents their careers.
“Families cope by working less, making do with lower-quality and patchwork care alternatives, forgoing other basic needs to pay for child care, or in some cases dropping out of the labor force altogether,” wrote one report from the National Women’s Law Center. “While the squeeze is most acutely felt when children are infants and toddlers, the reality is that the lack of affordable and high-quality child care options has consequences for families long after children enter kindergarten, compromising the economic and retirement security of families, and particularly women, for their entire lives.”
>> RELATED: 34% of Georgians are ALICE — Asset Limited, Income-Constrained, and Employed
United Way of Greater Atlanta provides more than 100 BOOST child care tuition scholarships each year through our partnership with Quality Care for Children to help prevent the squeeze that child care costs place on families. These scholarships support families like Jasmine’s, working families that are forced to make decisions between basic needs like food, housing, and child care.
Jasmine applied for a BOOST scholarship, but before hearing back, she was let go from her job. She repeatedly had to miss work to care for her children, and the lack of affordable child care options had cost her a role which she had held for five years.
Then, the call came. Her family had been approved for the scholarship—her children would be able to start daycare.
“Had I had it last year, I probably would still have my job,” Jasmine said. “But everything happens for a reason. And I’m just so grateful that we have this scholarship now.”
While the timing may be bittersweet, she’s been able to explore her creative side and make a part-time income working as a nail technician, something she did before her first job. And she’s grateful that she’s getting to give her children a quality learning experience, something she once thought was out of reach.
A boost for the most important years of learning
After touring several centers, her family found Elite Children Learning Center, a center that fosters a love of learning through a quality curriculum and lots of care.
She’s so thankful for the opportunity for her kids to start their learning journey at school, making friends and developing social skills, fine motor skills, and language skills through fun activities.
“I just want them to be happy, nurtured, and taken care of. It takes a village to raise children. And as our village is back home, sending them there means the world to me,” said Jasmine.
We’re planning to administer scholarships to 100 families this year so children can thrive in these critical early learning years.
“Part of what the science says is that the first five years are the most important and 80% of the English language is learned during that time. And those critical building blocks are so important to ready kids and ready their brain to continue to learn when they are in school,” said Cori Dickens-Cain, Associate Vice President of Strong Learners at United Way of Greater Atlanta.
>> RELATED: GELI to Smart Start: A Legacy of Innovation in Early Childhood Education
Would you like to help fund scholarships so children can gain developmental building blocks during those first five years? Your support can help families like Jasmine’s stay employed, stay hopeful, and give their children the start they deserve—donate today.