Prior to World War II, women’s role in the US was “increasingly limited to family responsibilities within the domestic sphere - particularly maintaining the home and child care” (Laslett 3). Child rearing was a domestic issue, to be dealt with at home. However, with the increasing need for labor during the war, women stepped out into the workforce. As more and more mothers began working, the lack of caregivers for children led to the realization that daycare centers were an important part of the war effort. In present times, while there is no war, it is now normal for women to work alongside men, and the need for daycare centers, especially for low-income families, remains. After the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, led to US involvement in World War II, “the demand for labor could be met only by incorporating millions of people from the labor reserve army into the workforce” (Dratch 168). At first the view that “The first responsibility of women with young children in war as in peace is to give suitable care in their own homes to their children” greatly prevented …show more content…
Los Angeles is the largest county in the United States and “one of the first large metropolitan areas in the US where historical distinctions between ‘majority’ and ‘minority’ groups no longer apply (McCroskey 125). In the year 2004, “almost 60% of young people [under 18] were Latino, 20% were White, 10% were African-American, 9.9% were Asian, 0.3% were American Indian and 0.3% were Pacific Islander” (126). In addition, “In 2000, more than 20% of these children and youth (579,142) lived in families with incomes under the Federal Poverty Threshold, while 44% (1,222,748) lived in low-income families” (126). Due to the large scale size of the city, as well as to the different types of childcare available, it is difficult for low-income families to navigate the system and find the most appropriate daycare