Jessica is a mom of three children under 6 in Oklahoma City. She didn’t plan to stay at home, but as an early childhood educator, she earned too little to pay for her own children’s care. Her story is featured on Squeezed, a podcast hosted by Yvette Nicole Brown and created in partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which highlights the hardships and joys of caregiving across America.
It became a situation where I just wasn’t making that much and even with side jobs it wasn’t sustainable.
Jessica explains that staying home with her children is a labor of love, particularly because she is working to break the cycle after experiencing challenges in her own childhood. Growing up, Jessica, the oldest of five siblings who felt responsibility for the family’s wellbeing, had to grow up fast. She and her siblings spent years bouncing around foster care and Jessica says her experiences influence her drive to be a positive role model for her children.
Jessica is now aiming to give her kids the things she wished for in her own childhood. In a structured early learning environment in her house, she uses the things she learned during her time as an early childhood educator to nurture and teach her own children. She says it’s an honor to be able to stay home, especially as a Black woman who historically has not always had that privilege.
A lot of people think stay-at-home-moms are rich white women but that’s not always the case. For some people it’s more affordable to stay at home than send your kids to daycare.
Jessica also advocates for parents like her across the country. We were honored to have Jessica and her family join us at Strolling Thunder 2023, where she shared her story with policymakers to advocate for quality, affordable child care and paid family leave.
As Yvette says, when we prioritize things like affordable child care, livable wages, paid parental leave and well-equipped public schools and quality social services, everyone benefits. It’s time we stand together and demand them.
