INDIANAPOLIS — Arevietta Drayton works as a day care provider at L.O.V.E. Your Child's Care on the south side of Indianapolis.
"I love everything about teaching kids. I love the response that I get from them," Drayton said.
Working in child care comes with a price.
"The wages we are getting paid is very insulting," Drayton said.
Drayton gets $16 per hour and said it isn't enough to make ends meet.
That's why the owner of L.O.V.E. Your Child's Care decided to shut its doors Monday for a day of action — a national "Day Without Child Care" — in hopes of sending lawmakers a message.
"If it wasn’t for us and if it wasn’t for the fact that the child starts right here, there would be no doctors, lawyers, pediatricians, none of that because it all starts with us early childhood teachers," Drayton said.
Drayton and day care providers nationwide are urging lawmakers to not only increase pay, but to invest in access to affordable child care.
According to Indeed, child care providers in Indiana make an average of $13 per hour, or about $33,000 a year.
Congressional Republicans introduced legislation that cut funding for things like education and child care.
According to the Biden administration, more than 7,000 children in Indiana could lose access to child care.
Drayton said this would impact many Hoosier parents.
"I can’t go a day without, 'My child is sick. I gotta make sure I find a babysitter because I can’t go a day without work to take care of my child, because I can’t afford it because I’m not getting paid enough.' It’s absolutely ridiculous, and it’s nonsense," Drayton said.
These are reasons they hope their message on Monday is heard loud and clear.
For more information on A Day Without Child Care, visit here.
