Unfortunately, child care during non-standard hours is very scarce. Some parts of King County have no licensed facilities offering weekend or evening care. The cost of child care presents a significant challenge to working families in King County. Although these rates are not high enough to secure decent wages for child care workers, they are still beyond the means of many families. Because child care is unaffordable for many working families, parents often try to piece together options that will minimize the use of child care.
Some parents are able to juggle different shifts, arrange part-time relative care, or work at home.
Others turn to unlicensed, illegal care that tends to be less expensive than licensed care. And too many families still leave children unattended or in the care of an older sibling. Although child care is beyond the means of many working families, wages and benefits paid to child care workers are still very low. Salaries for child care workers have barely kept up with inflation in recent years and are substantially lower that wages in other professions. The quality of child care is integrally tied to the wages and benefits paid child care teachers and aides.