Americans rely on grannies to fill the childcare gap

But her youngest son was only a year old and her daughter just four. Leaving her alone for more than a week to attend the sessions in person didn’t seem feasible, says Chen, CEO and co-founder of Los Angeles-based Autopilot Reviews wealth. Until her mother-in-law stepped in.

Since the birth of her grandchildren, Ana Léniz Mezzano – “Ani” in her family – has taken months away from her life in Santiago, Chile to spend them with her son, daughter-in-law and their two children. “I love being a grandma,” says Mezzano. “It’s so rewarding.”

Mezzano, who still works as a nurse, was staying with Chen for three months when their eldest daughter was born. And when her grandson was born, she came back to stay and help with the family. “I have a great bond with them,” Mezzano says of her grandchildren, but adds that not living closer together is a challenge.

“After giving birth, I had a really hard c-section [Ani] here was just so priceless because she was a comfort to my older daughter and I could trust her with a newborn,” says Chen.

When Mezzano comes to visit these days, Chen says she packs the lectures, work trips, and Harvard classes. “I optimize the time when she’s here because it’s so comforting for the kids to have her here,” she says.

“My mother-in-law is one of the only reasons I can have a career,” Chen adds, saying Mezzano’s mentoring support has enabled her to chair conferences and attend classes. “That’s the biggest game changer.”

Mezzano’s trips from Chile to LA to care for her grandchildren may seem extraordinary, but grandparents — especially grandmothers — routinely fill the care gap for their families.

In fact, 42% of working parents rely on grandmothers for childcare, according to a new International Women’s Day poll conducted by The Harris Poll of more than 2,000 US adults.

And in the event of childcare problems such as school or daycare closures or when children are at home sick, four out of ten parents with children under the age of 18 rely on grandma’s unpaid help, according to a survey. In many cases, grandmothers often provide this care at the expense of their own time and financial security.

But with many Americans struggling to find affordable childcare, grandmothers serve as vital support to both their families and the economy at large. Without this usually unpaid — or underpaid — help, many more working parents would be forced to make difficult decisions about retiring from work to care for their children.

The vast majority, 92%, of Americans believe that grannies make a significant economic contribution through the childcare they provide. Additionally, about 83% say the US economy would suffer without this diligence.

Without Grandma’s help, more working parents would feel the pinch

Colorado’s Kiki McGough says she’s always waited for the day when she could be a grandmother. With her background as a special educator for young children, McGough felt she could help her daughter and son-in-law navigate the child care system.

But when her granddaughter’s childcare suddenly broke down when she was eight months old, McGough, her daughter and son-in-law had to cobble together the cover. “We put together a schedule,” says McGough, but admits that even though she was still working, much of the burden fell on her.

Not only did she babysit her granddaughter three days a week before and after childcare, but she also babysat her two weekday afternoons when daycare was not available. But with her son-in-law traveling for work and her daughter, a teacher, working on a tight schedule, this was the only way they could both stay in the workforce.

Still, juggling can be a challenge—especially for grandparents. McGough would get up at 6 a.m. so she could pick up her granddaughter and drive to daycare because her daughter and son-in-law had to be at work before the center opened. Normally McGough was also responsible for the collection. She was also on call on public holidays and sick days.

“I would call in sick to babysit my granddaughter because my job is a bit more flexible than my daughter’s teaching job,” says McGough. “All of this was free for my daughter since the cost of a toddler program was equivalent to college tuition in Colorado.”

With rising costs and long waiting lists, it’s not uncommon for grandmothers to routinely provide childcare so parents can work. About 4 in 5 working parents who rely on grannies for childcare say the support allows them to pursue their career goals, according to the Harris survey. Approximately 67% of these working parents say there are times they would have lost their job without their child’s grandmother stepping in to help with caregiving.

Without unpaid childcare from grandmothers, 72% of working Americans say their ability to work would be impacted. A whopping 20% ​​of working parents who rely on unpaid childcare say they would have to quit their job without this support.

But it’s not without its challenges. McGough says she was lucky to be financially secure enough to help. “It’s not like I’m going to charge you for the miles for driving my granddaughter to school or for taking her out on a Friday afternoon. I was probably in a better situation than other grandparents. But it is still a financial burden.”

It’s not just financial challenges. Yvonne Franklin, who has helped care for her grandchildren, says childcare often comes at the expense of her own time.

“I have things planned and something happens to my grandchildren or my great-nephew and I have to change my plans to take care of them – unfortunately my plans have to take a back seat.”

Resolving the childcare crisis has far-reaching implications

Since the pandemic began, many advocates, politicians and parents have pointed out that the childcare crisis is an economic problem as well as a personal challenge for many American families.

Without stable and quality child care, parents cannot maximize their productivity at work. Children are not given the foundation they need to be successful. And, perhaps less discussed, grandparents and other extended family members are risking their financial, physical, and mental health to bridge the gap.

Overall, it is estimated that the lack of adequate childcare for infants and young children costs US$122 billion annually in lost revenue, productivity and revenue across the country.

Even when parents have the money for childcare, finding a provider is a challenge. According to a November report by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), seven out of 10 daycare centers don’t have as many open spots as they would like.

Overall, about 12.3 million children in the United States have working parents, but only about 8.7 million licensed child care places are available, according to a recent report by Child Care Aware of America. This leaves a potential gap of around 3.6 million spots.

Of course, the pandemic did not help the situation. Thousands of vendors have closed their doors permanently, while many others remain open but are struggling with increased operating costs and staff shortages, as well as changing regulations and protocols.

But the childcare crisis could get worse as the pandemic-era stabilization grants given to providers expire this year. This in turn could increase the pressure on the grandparents.

Jacqueline Enriquez was looking forward to traveling in retirement. But childcare can easily turn into a full-time job.

“My daughter has a two-year-old and I took care of her from an early age until she was about six months old [because] We struggled to find daycare for them,” says Enriquez. “The choice is: should I let my daughter quit her job and have no income, or do I make the sacrifice and just try to find a part-time job and take care of her?”

For most grandparents, that’s not really a question. They will continue to sacrifice themselves for their children no matter how old they get.