In the past few decades, government funded daycare has become a topic on the public policy agenda.  This has occurred for a few reasons.  One of them is that women have become much more involved in the work force.  In addition, divorce rates have gone up, causing the number of single parents with children to increase.  More children have also been born without their parents being married.   Today in the United States, one in every four children live in single mother families, with more than half of them living below the poverty line.

One of the main questions surrounding this policy is, in the simplest form, whether it childcare should be a personal or public responsibility.  I would like to argue in support of federal or state funded childcare.  From my research, I have found two main forms of justification.  One of these forms revolves around the potential developmental benefits surrounding childcare, and the other is to encourage parents to work, in hopes that they will not need to rely on welfare.

I would like to take a deeper look into these two justifications as my persuasive essay topic.  My civic issues blog on single parent families has opened my eyes to the struggles that they face on a daily basis, and the bulk of it seems to come down to childcare.  I think it is important to educate people on this topic, and to be honest, I would like to learn more about it myself.