Are children paying the price for employment?

Another month, another great jobs report. The latest report shows that unemployment is at a 49-year record low of 3.7 percent. In the wake of the Great Recession, this consistent decline in the unemployment rate is a hard won achievement. Jobs bring income and independence to families.

But there is another reality that deserves consideration: the lives of working parents.

Employment can also bring stressors and time demands that could actually be detrimental to children. To ensure it helps the well-being of children and their families, we must recognize this paradox: for some families – especially those with low-incomes – employment can be both a blessing and a curse. And perhaps the greatest challenge for working parents is childcare.

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