The Struggles of a Single Mom - By the Durbin Family

The greatest challenge with Early Childhood Education and Care services in our area starts with the fact that there isn't much offered. I realized this right away with my firstborn. I ended up not being able to go to work for the first three and a half years after becoming a mom. Child care waiting lists are so long, and the cost for public, private, licensed, and/or unlicensed care is wild. Not to mention, it is hard enough to trust strangers with my children, and it's not like there are enough options for me to take the time to find someone I feel comfortable with.  

In the beginning with my first, I didn't even have my driver’s license, so transportation was a big issue to get her anywhere other than home. Since then, I have struggled my way to be where I am now, but every day is still a struggle, not only for myself but to meet the needs of my two girls. It is nice, though, to see that more people are getting involved to help fix these issues and hopefully the next generation of parents can get the help I wish we had. At least it sounds like change is coming and they won't struggle as much as I have.  

Finding a local pediatric dentist who takes my insurance and provides quality care anywhere in our Region is something I have yet to find. They exist, just not anywhere near us, as far as I know. All mental health resources are things we do use and will continue to use. Help finding a way to better understand child care costs and how to make that work would be a huge help. The transportation struggle is huge; our public transportation system has many issues and isn't something I would ever choose to use unless I absolutely had to. The issues are not just the lack of options for public transportation, but the scheduling, safety, all of it.