Case Studies
The Sussman Family
by P.J. McWilliam
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 * . 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
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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?
- 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)?
- 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?
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