The Sussman Family

     Cindy and John Sussman were high school sweethearts. After graduation, John had gone to trade school to become an auto mechanic but he had only completed the first year of the two-year program when Cindy became pregnant. They married and John dropped out to work full time in the auto shop of the car dealer out on the bypass. Cindy, who had been attending the community college after graduation, took a job at Thalhimer's department store and worked full time until Matthew was born. After taking a 6-week maternity leave, Cindy resumed her employment with Thalhimers and her mother took care of Matthew throughout his first year of life. Although the price was right because Cindy's mother didn't charge them for taking care of Matthew, Cindy and John became increasingly unhappy with this child care arrangement. Cindy still felt the sting of her mother's disappointment in her when she had gotten pregnant and had to get married, and she felt increasingly criticized by her mother about how she was taking care of Matthew. Cindy's mother had some very old-fashioned notions about taking care of babies.

      As the tension mounted between Cindy and her mother, Cindy and John decided it would be better to put Matthew in a child care center. Because they only had one car and John needed it to get to his work out on the bypass, they had chosen the Daisy Duck day care center which was within walking distance of their apartment. It was also considerably less expensive than some of the fancier child care centers that were closer to town. In order to make ends meet, John had taken on a second job delivering pizzas on the weekends for Domino's. Over the next two years, their small but consistent pay raises made it possible for John to eventually quit weekend work. Then, just as they were beginning to feel as though they were getting on their feet, Cindy found out she was pregnant with Ariel.

      After Ariel was born, they took Matthew out of child care and Cindy stayed home with both children. But that arrangement didn't last for long. Once again, John had to take on extra weekend work. Taking care of both children was exhausting for Cindy, and John was always either at work or too tired to be of much help with the children or the housework. The couple began to argue constantly and their financial difficulties only added fuel to the fire. When Ariel was 4 months old they reluctantly decided that Cindy would have to resume full-time work at Thalhimers and both children went to Daisy Duck.

      Ariel is now 5 months old and Matthew is 3 ½ . Cindy usually walks the children to Daisy Duck in the morning and then takes the bus downtown to Thalhimers. When the weather is bad, she packs the kids in the car early and drives John to work so she can have the car for the day. It's certainly not the ideal situation, as the extra time in the car is hard on the children and it interferes with their having dinner at a decent hour. Maybe they'd be able to afford a second car someday but, for now, the cost of child care for both the kids-even at Daisy Duck-makes it unthinkable.

      Cindy is disenchanted with motherhood. She had always thought she would be a stay-at-home mom, taking care of her children herself like her own mother had done. Afternoons in the park..reading stories at bedtime..baking cookies..fixing dinners for her husband. But it wasn't like that at all. Life was a constant rush and, although she tried to be the best mother she could be, sometimes she was too exhausted to give the children the attention they deserved and needed. Cindy also questioned the quality of care that the children got at Daisy Duck. She was especially concerned about Ariel. The cribs that lined the walls of the infant room looked so institutional. And although the two women who worked in Ariel's room seemed pleasant enough, how could they possibly give all 10 babies they were in charge of the amount of attention they each needed. How often might Ariel be left in her crib crying to be picked up while the women were busy changing or feeding the other babies? Twice now, Cindy had left work early to walk into the child care center unexpectedly like the magazine articles say parents should. Both times Ariel was napping peacefully in her crib. How often could she take off from work to check up on what they were doing? Cindy felt a little better about Matthew. At least he could tell her about his day. Even so, Matthew was just one among many at Daisy Duck and, over the past few weeks, he had taken to crying when Cindy left him in his classroom in the morning. Was this just a phase he was going through or was it a sign that something wasn't right?
 

Discussion Questions

1. How likely is it that the Sussman family is aware of what constitutes quality child care? Where would families like the Sussmans who live in your own state or community learn about what to look for in selecting a child care center? What policies or practices are in place to ensure that all families like the Sussmans have this information?

2. What factors have contributed to Cindy's and John's selecting Daisy Duck as the child care center where they enrolled Matthew and Ariel? Would these same factors play a role in the decisions of families like the Sussmans who live in your own state or community?

3. What policies or resources are in place in your own state or community that provide financial incentives or support for dual-income families who want high quality child care for their young children (e.g., tax credits, vouchers, subsidies)? Which of these would families like the Sussmans be eligible for? How much of a difference would they be likely to make in John's and Cindy's financial situation?

4. The Sussmans seem somewhat concerned about the quality of care their children receive at Daisy Duck-especially the care of their 5-month-old, Ariel. Based on the limited information provided in the profile, are the Sussmans' concerns about their children's care at Daisy Duck likely to be valid? What can the Sussmans do to check out their concerns? In your own state or community, how would families like the Sussmans know what to do or who to go to for help in addressing their concerns about Daisy Duck?

5. What policies, practices, or resources are in place in your state or community that would provide assurances to the Sussman family about the quality of care their children are receiving at Daisy Duck (e.g., specific child care regulations, child care monitoring practices and reporting systems, child care resource and referral programs)? Would families like the Sussmans know about these? How much can parents rely upon these things as sound assurance that their children are or will be receiving quality care?

6. Are their any other policies, practices, or resources in your own state or community that would be supportive of families like the Sussmans (e.g., tax laws, parental leave policies, other forms of financial support, other services or resources for which they might be eligible)?

7. Cindy Sussman would actually prefer to stay at home with her children. Are there any policies, practices, or resources in your own state or community that are supportive of families who want to stay home and care for their children rather than putting them in child care?

P.J. McWilliam
National Center for Early Development and Learning
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Center
University of North Carolina
Chapel Hill, NC

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