logo
episode-header-image
Oct 2021
17m 8s

Why child-care workers are quitting

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode
Working in a day care is a demanding job — but the pay is typically around just $12 an hour, and often without benefits. Many child-care workers have quit during the pandemic, leaving parents without options and struggling to return to work themselves. 
Up next
Feb 2026
Goodbye from "Post Reports"
Just over seven years ago, we launched this daily news podcast from The Washington Post.Our goal was to bring you inside our newsroom, sharing our reporting with listeners to help make sense of what was happening in the world. We’ve published hundreds of episodes. We’ve covered e ... Show More
8m 6s
Feb 2026
A surprise Kennedy Center makeover
In his second term, President Donald Trump has gone on a mission to reinvent the Kennedy Center, the beloved performing arts venue in Washington, D.C.Trump promised to overhaul the center’s programming. He installed loyalists on the board who made him chairman. In December, Trump ... Show More
18m 40s
Feb 2026
A teddy bear, an ice skate: What remains from last year's deadly D.C. plane crash
In late January of last year, an American Eagle flight and a U.S. Army helicopter collided above the Potomac River, killing everyone aboard both aircraft. It was the deadliest flight disaster in the U.S. in decades.A year later, families and first responders are reflecting on the ... Show More
15m 19s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2021
Childcare is a mess. Who will tidy it up?
The childcare sector is on its knees with nursery staff on low wages struggling to make ends meet. Meanwhile parents buckle under the pressure of soaring childcare costs. And yet, the government has done little to help. Does this broken system need a complete rethink?This podcast ... Show More
27m 48s
Dec 2021
Healthcare workers are burnt out
What can be done to stem the tide of carers quitting the industry? Before the pandemic the healthcare sector struggled to recruit enough workers. Today they're leaving in droves. Citing physical and mental exhaustion, poor working conditions, a lack of appreciation and miserly pa ... Show More
17m 28s
Dec 2020
A woman’s work is never done
Millions of women left the workforce as Covid-19 forced school closures, but that doesn’t mean they have less on their plates. Is government-funded child care the answer? Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
23m 24s
Aug 2022
When the Price of Childcare is Just Too High
In most places in the US, sending a kid to daycare costs about the same as sending a kid to state college. Have more than one kid, and it’s easy for a daycare bill to be bigger than your paycheck – which leaves some women wondering if it would be better to drop out of the workfor ... Show More
32m 29s
Dec 2023
The child care industry is rebounding — and at risk
The child care sector has recovered nearly all of the jobs it lost when the pandemic hit. Yet there are still major staffing shortages, and the end of federal pandemic funding could put the industry’s rebound in peril. Also on the program: early reactions to COP28 agreement and a ... Show More
7m 26s