“I don't have much of a choice”: Low‐income single mothers' COVID‐19 school and care decisions

• Published date: 01 December 2021
• Author: Melissa Radey,Lisa Langenderfer‐Magruder,Joedrecka Brown Speights
• Date: 01 December 2021
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/fare.12593

ORIGINAL RESEARCH

“I don’t have much of a choice”: Low-income single

mothers’COVID-19 school and care decisions

Melissa Radey

1

|Lisa Langenderfer-Magruder

2

|

Joedrecka Brown Speights

3

1

College of Social Work, Florida State

University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

2

Florida Institute for Child Welfare, Florida

State University, Tallahassee, Florida, USA

3

College of Medicine, Florida State University,

Tallahassee, Florida, USA

Correspondence

Melissa Radey, College of Social Work,

Florida State University, Tallahassee,

FL, USA.

Email: mradey@fsu.edu

Funding information

Florida State University Council

Abstract

Objective: This study used a preferences and constraints

framework to understand mothers’decision-making pro-

cesses around childcare and schooling during the COVID-19

pandemic and how socioeconomic context contribute to these

decisions.

Background: Despite potential long-standing consequences

of school decision making during the COVID-19 pandemic,

we know little about how parents consider childcare and edu-

cation options during these times. And, these decisions are

particularly important for single mothers in resource-scarce

environments whose children benefit disproportionately from

appropriate care and education.

Method: This study used qualitative data gathered from

semistructured interviews with low-income, single mothers

(N=34).

Results: Approximately half of mothers selected home-

based care while the other half selected site-based care.

Findings suggest that mothers made decisions largely on

the basis of constraints—safety or financial need. Given

high levels of fear and system mistrust, Black mothers

more commonly selected home-based care than White

mothers.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic seems to exacerbate

the restricted childcare calculus of low-income mothers.

Implications: Partnering with communities and disseminat-

ing accurate information, particularly in Black communities,

is critical for establishing trust and positioning low-income

single mothers to make current care and education decisions,

as well as future decisions, such as vaccination decisions.

KEYWORDS

childcare issues, decision making, race and ethnic (minority) issues,

single-parent families, work and family issues

Received: 19 January 2021Accepted: 6 March 2021

DOI: 10.1111/fare.12593

© 2021 National Council on Family Relations.

1312 Family Relations. 2021;70:1312–1326.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/fare