While Ms. Brydges, 27, said she appreciates that living in McKeesport is cheaper than other places — “I could never afford to live in Pittsburgh,” she says — much of her paycheck and some child support are still covering just the basics.
She would like to be able to take her kids to places such as the Carnegie Science Center.
“Things like that, we can’t do, because my paycheck’s food. So, if I could make more money, I could do more things.”
Ms. Brydges, who has worked at several child care centers and has been a nanny, also is working on a Child Development Associate Credential.
Rebecca hugs her son, Jaxen Jakub, beside Andre, on Sunday, Feb. 24, 2019, at their home in McKeesport. Rebecca is raising her four children as a single mother and working as a child care provider. (Stephanie Strasburg/Post-Gazette)
She is trying to work her way out of the paradox faced by countless child care workers and parents — although child care is typically very costly and difficult for working parents to afford, child care workers often earn low wages and are barely scraping by.
For child care workers in the Pittsburgh area, the average hourly wage is $11.50, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics, with an average annual wage of $23,090.
“It’s a huge challenge for the child care sector that, really parents and families can’t pay any more for child care, and yet the providers can’t make any less than they currently do,” said Lissa Geiger Shulman, director of public policy at Pittsburgh-based advocacy group Trying Together.
What makes it so costly?
Child care can’t be automated or enhanced by technology, and it requires many nurturing adults, often with state-mandated ratios, Ms. Geiger Shulman said.
“The biggest portion of a child care program’s budget is going to be those costs for salaries,” she said.
There are some subsidies for low-income parents, but not everyone who qualifies is able to receive them, and there is a waiting list. The subsidy rate also doesn’t cover the cost of care at many centers.
“To truly do what we think is right for children and families, the costs are large,” Ms. Geiger Shulman said. “That’s why a lot of other countries do have more significant public investments in their child care programs.”
McKeesport and Glassport: neighboring communities with different demographics
McKeesport and Glassport, neighboring Mon Valley communities, face many of the same challenges. But Glassport has a higher median household income and a much lower child poverty rate.
Percentage of children living in poverty
Median Household Income
Taxable property value per capita
% residents that receive help from Department of Human Services
Sources: US Census data processed by CensusReporter.org, Allegheny County Department of Human Services | Graphics: Chance Brinkman-Sull/Post-Gazette
