How America's 'childcare deserts' are driving women out of the workforce Read more

When I first visited Dee’s Tots Childcare three years ago with photographer Alice Proujansky, I was struck by how appealing the place was. The owners, Deloris and Patrick Hogan, run Dee’s out of their family home in New Rochelle, New York and work around the clock to serve parents who need daycare, whether at 7 in the morning or 11 at night.

I was also struck by what Dee’s and other 24-7 daycare facilities represented. They serve an ever-expanding number of children whose parents work non-standard and unpredictable hours. The parents might be working two service or retail jobs or they may be night nurses. According to the National Women’s Law Center, 9% of daycare center care is now provided during evenings or weekends.

These venues range from Shifts Night Care Center in Jackson, Mississippi, to Tip Top Child Development Center and Five Star Sitters in Las Vegas, to Success Kidz 24-Hour Enrichment Center in Columbus, Ohio. Nearly 40% of Americans now work non-traditional employment hours. Almost two-thirds (64.2%) of women with children under age six are working, and one in five working moms of small children work at low-wage jobs that typically pay $10.50 an hour. They all need to earn more if they are to truly be able to afford daycare, and in a cruel twist, many must work more and stranger hours to do so.



The number of parents forced to rely on 24-hour daycare will only grow. It is simply the nature of everyday – and every night – life in today’s America.

Diana at bedtime.

Eight-year-old Diana puts toothpaste on her toothbrush before bedtime at Dee’s.

Diana’s mother works two jobs because neither employer will give her more than 29 hours of work. By keeping her hours down, the companies can avoid offering benefits that come with full-time employment. Diana usually lies awake waiting for her mother to come pick her up after work at 10.30pm.

Co-owner Patrick Hogan plays music with children he calls his “nighttime babies” before bed.

Field trip

Dee’s Tots organizes field trips, including this one to nearby Rye Playland.

Diana was unhappy because her mother, Marisol, (holding her four-year-old daughter, Ivette) had to end the outing and go to work, as she does six days a week.

Ivette

Daycare provider Deloris Hogan fixes four-year-old Ivette’s hair after a nap.

Diana

Diana sets the table for her sister Ivette before dinner at Dee’s.

Deloris

Deloris holds her one-year-old granddaughter Jadeleana and eight-year-old Diana in the afternoon sun at Dee’s.