Moms, child care providers march in Detroit, calling for better wages and affordable care
About 30 child care providers and parents in Michigan closed their doors or called out of work Monday as part of the annual event "National Day Without Child Care," aimed at highlighting the child care crisis, the event organizer Community Change Action said.
The child care providers and parents participated in the "stroller march" Monday morning, which started at TechTown Detroit and ended at the Cadillac Place building in Detroit's New Center neighborhood. They joined nearly 800 child care providers and parents who participated in the day across 25 states.
"We talk to mamas every single day ... who are trying to understand, 'Why don't I have child care for my children?' ," said Aisha Wells, co-deputy director at Mothering Justice, an advocacy organization that provides mothers of color with the resources to make policy changes and one of the organizers of the Detroit event.
"'Why do I have to miss work? Why do I have to not be in the workforce?' " she said. "That is not the country we should be living in. That is not the state we should be living in. We all understand that this is vital. This is important."
The goal of the events was to put a spotlight on the cost of child care and advocate for funding that would offer better wages for providers, more affordable care for families, a child care system built on racial and gender equity, and an expanded and inclusive child tax credit.
More on the child care crisis: Struggling Michigan child care centers wave white flag as state invests in new facilities
Contact Adrienne Roberts: amroberts@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan moms join 'stroller march,' calling for affordable child care
