Last week, J.D. Vance offered an interesting solution to the problem of affordable childcare. The Left insists taxpayers must give more money to the government so they can use it to subsidize childcare and make it 'affordable' to parents. Now, listen, childcare costs are out of control. Part of the reason for that, however, is the government's 'rules' for childcare providers. I happen to come from a family who owned a very large childcare center for several decades. The center ran over 200 kids and was a high quality place to send children. So much so, there was always a waiting list. My family installed a pool and had swimming lessons for the children (a very important skill in Florida), a dance teacher and music teacher came in and offered additional lessons (a big help to busy parents who did not have time to take kids to lessons after work) and it was safe. My Granny and another family friend made sure there was very good food for the children, as well. Why did my family decide to sell? The government made it almost impossible to run a large center and follow all of their laborious rules.
JD Vance’s response to the cost of child care is 1) ask their grandparents to babysit and 2) empower more people to take care of kids
— isaac (@eyesac91) September 5, 2024
Yes, that's exactly the right approach. When my family could successfully run a high quality center, it was because they could hire the grandma next door who maybe never went to high school or a minute of college, but they did know how to take care of a baby more than any person leaving college with their degree in early childhood development. All that book learning had nothing on their years of real world experience. The government has made it nearly impossible to hire those kind of workers anymore. You have to hire people with hours and hours of classes offered from some other government institution the taxpayer is subsidizing. Then, after all of that, every 2 or 3 years, the government forces those same people to go back and get some more 'education' (actually just silly three hour classes people are forced to attend), to keep their 'license' up to date. None of it helped them do a better job of changing a diaper or teaching a child the alphabet. To find people willing to do all of those extra 'college' or 'content' hours, the center has to pay them in accordance with their 'book learning', as we say in the South. In the past, a center owner could pay 'Grandma next door' a reasonable wage. When she is not able to work at the daycare anymore, not only do you lose her expertise, but the price parents pay to send their children to the center rises exponentially. Someone has to pay those wages and it will be the parents of the children.
(Trump still has no idea how tariffs work.) +J. D. Vance said parents can just get grandparents to do childcare for free, and childcare companies don't need to get licensed, trained workers [because it's a natural function]. Hence no need for affordable childcare. https://t.co/VHPzjlPZLI
— L J Ruede (@LJRuede) September 6, 2024
The Left, of course, is mocking Vance's take on this, but caring for very small children is a NATURAL function. Mothers have been doing it well since the beginning of time without hours of lectures from a college professor. Also, yes, if a family member wants to keep a small child, and the only reason they can't is they need to earn some kind of money to contribute to the good of their family, why not pay them rather than subsidizing a faceless corporate daycare center chain? Again, we should trust parents to know what is best for their children.
“Ask grandma to watch them for free” is not policy. https://t.co/fVrBqHbQdZ
— Chasten Glezman Buttigieg (@Chasten) September 5, 2024
Maybe Chasten doesn't see it as 'policy' because they can afford for him to stay home and take care of their twins. They can do that because the other Dad makes a bunch of money not doing his job well. Perhaps, other families without as much money would ALSO like a family member to watch their small child. Vance's policy offers that opportunity. It's much like school choice policy allows for homeschooling. These are the best of Republican policies and rather than allow the Left to own the narrative and mock us for them, we need to explain them because they are good and they show a willingness to help the working class of America.
