Happy Monday,

Anyone else feel like yesterday was two days wrapped into one? It was our first experience with Daylight Saving Time and by about 4p I was ready to call it quits. Fortunately, even though it was dark earlier than I can ever remember, the temperature was great and we got to hang outside while my daughter bathed in her kiddie pool.

What did you all do to help pass the time with your kids on an exceptionally long day? Reply to this email and let me know.

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One Big Idea

Work Absences Due to Child Care Issues Have Jumped

In the wake of federal funding expiring, American families are facing an unfortunate new reality: there is now a child care crunch that is reshaping their work lives. The ending of pandemic-era child-care-provider-based stabilization grants in October has not only caused a sharp increase in work absences due to child care problems but has also propelled a significant number of full-time workers into part-time status to juggle child raising responsibilities. While the immediate impacts, like the rise in child care costs and program closures, are becoming evident, experts suggest the full effects will ripple through the economy for years to come. This shift is not just a personal inconvenience but a societal challenge that highlights the difficult choices that we’re forced to make as modern parents.

The statistics are telling: about 92,000 Americans moved from full-time to part-time work for at least one week because of child care issues in October, up from 55,000 in September. With federal child care stimulus funds now depleted, the Century Foundation projects the potential closure of up to 70,000 child care programs, which could drive costs even higher. This dilemma leaves families at a crossroads, facing decisions that could affect their financial stability and career trajectories for years to come. As child care becomes scarcer and more expensive, the question looms: how will families and society adapt?

Trending Stories & Insights

• Turns out that childcare is not a uniquely American problem. The Fawcett Society, an equal rights charity in the UK, recently found that about a quarter of a million mothers with young children have left their jobs due to childcare pressures. The study also found that 41% of the mothers and 37% of fathers had turned down a promotion or career development opportunity because they worried it would not fit with their childcare arrangements

• A BuzzFeed reporter asked their community what financial changes they have had to make in their lives since having kids. Most of the answers feel very relatable, but I’ll let you be the judge

• A teacher in Florida was fired for posting a video to X (formerly Twitter) showing off the school’s empty library shelves. The state leads the nation in book bans, which often stem from complaints from parents. This teacher says that no one has the right to limit the books and subjects that are off-limits to another’s child

Tip of the Day

• The founder and CEO of Success Academy Charter Schools shares the number one thing that modern parents are forgetting to teach their kids

Here’s a dad joke

What do you call a cow with two legs?

Scroll to the bottom of the newsletter for the answer!

Time(out) for Memes