The New York Times

Hi all, and welcome to another weekly blog roundup! This week we’ve got stories about some anti-choice bills in Virginia, a new video and call to action on SNDA,  an update on Samantha Garvey, some of the perils faced by pregnant women on the job, the Susan G. Komen for the Cure decision on Planned Parenthood, and some wrap-ups on blog carnivals we participated in this week, all after the jump. Read more »

Many parents take whatever work they can find, no matter what the hours, particularly in today’s economy. As a result, a significant proportion of parents—especially parents in low-wage jobs—are now working evening, night, and weekend hours. These parents need reliable care for their children during these hours, but this is typically hard to find. However, there are some signs that the market may be starting to respond to this growing need, with an increasing number of centers operating during nontraditional hours, according to an article this week in the New York Times.

The article describes the juggling act that a number of parents must do as they try to keep their jobs—as waitresses, cooks, and nursing home employees and doing other work involving late-night and early-morning hours. They have some misgivings about having their children cared for out of the home overnight, but are reassured when they find child care centers or other arrangements providing reliable, good-quality care during nontraditional hours. Read more »

 “There’s a long history of recognition that child care is essential to helping low-income women work. That commitment is being eroded.” - Helen Blank, Director of Leadership and Public Policy at the National Women’s Law Center, quoted in the NY Times 

A front-page story in today’s New York Times, citing NWLC’s recent report and its finding that child care assistance has eroded in 37 states, shows the impact of this for families across the country. A mother on the waiting list for assistance in Virginia has her daughter spend her after-school hours with her grandmother while the grandmother does her job driving a bus across the city. A mother on the waiting list in Maryland uses a patchwork of arrangements—including a grandmother in ill health—that often fall through, forcing her to miss work and lose pay. A mother in Pennsylvania receives child care assistance, but constantly worries about losing her job, losing her assistance, and being placed at the end of a long waiting list before she could receive it again. Read more »