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'Desperation': Child care struggle worsens in rural US
美國幼兒托育服務缺口巨大 鄉村地區陷托育危機
A shortage of child care in the US has become so acute that it’s reaching far into rural communities, including one northwestern Oregon county where future embryos are in line for a spot at Amy Atkinson’s nursery and preschool.
美國嚴重的托育服務短缺問題已經深入鄉村社區，在西北部俄勒岡州的一個縣，人們早在試管嬰兒的胚胎時期就開始在當地的幼兒園——艾米·阿特金森幼兒園排隊。
"We have children that have not been implanted yet that are on our waitlist,” said Atkinson, referring to in vitro fertilization. “It’s desperation.”
阿特金森幼兒園稱：“有的胚胎還未被移植到人體內，就已經登記排隊等著上我們幼兒園，這是一種多么絕望的心態。”
From Oregon to New York, demand for child care far exceeds supply. Families are growing increasingly desperate as providers deal with staffing shortages exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic as well as historically low pay worsened by inflation.
從俄勒岡州到紐約，托幼需求遠遠超過了供給。受新冠疫情的影響，再加上通貨膨脹導致創下歷史新低的工資水平進一步縮水，托育從業人員短缺問題日益加劇，從而使得美國家庭越發絕望。
Half of US residents live in child care deserts where fewer than a third of children have access to a slot at a licensed facility, according to the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank that has published reports on the issue. Access challenges have forced many parents to change jobs, reduce their hours or quit altogether.
就這一問題發布報告的自由黨派智庫美國進步中心稱，半數美國居民住在“托育荒漠”地區，在這里不到三分之一的幼兒有機會進入正規托幼機構。托幼難迫使許多父母換工作、減少工作時長或干脆辭職。
The coronavirus pandemic shone a spotlight on the national child care crisis as an estimated 10% of the country’s programs shuttered. Between December 2019 and March 2021, about 16,000 programs permanently closed across 37 states, according to a report from Child Care Aware of America, a national network of child care resources and referral agencies.
新冠疫情凸顯了全美的托育危機，據估計有10%的托育項目已停辦。美國兒童保育意識中心的報告顯示，2019年12月至2021年3月期間，37個州累計約1.6萬個托育項目已經永久關停。美國兒童保育意識中心是全美性質的托育資源查閱網絡。
Oregon is among 11 states where at least 60% of residents live in a child care desert, according to Center for American Progress data. Utah ranks highest, with 77%.
美國進步中心的數據顯示，美國有11個州至少有60%的居民地處“托育荒漠”，俄勒岡州就是其中之一。猶他州的“托育荒漠”化程度最高，77%的居民所在地缺乏托育資源。
Child care deserts are disproportionately in low-income urban and rural communities. In cities, day cares tend to be concentrated in wealthier neighborhoods and costs can be exorbitant, the Center for American Progress has found. But rural shortages are more likely and more acute — many communities have no child care facilities at all. A 2018 report by the center found that 59% of rural communities are child care deserts, compared to 56% of urban and 44% of suburban communities.
托育荒漠在低收入城鄉社區所占的比例尤其大。美國進步中心發現，城市里的日托所通常都集中在比較富有的社區，價格也很昂貴。但是鄉村地區更可能出現托育服務短缺問題，而且問題更嚴重，很多社區根本沒有托育設施。美國進步中心2018年的一份報告發現，59%的鄉村社區是“托育荒漠”，相比之下，城市和郊區社區的這一比例分別是56%和44%。
Low pay and lack of benefits are fueling the nationwide shortage, as providers scramble to retain workers.
工資低和福利差引發了全美托育資源的短缺，因為托幼機構很難留住員工。
The median hourly wage for child care workers is $11.43, according to May 2021 figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Starbucks and Amazon offer a minimum wage of $15 an hour for entry-level positions with no certification requirements. Providers are struggling to match those wages in a tight post-pandemic labor market.
美國勞工統計局2021年5月的數據顯示，托育從業人員的平均時薪是11.43美元（約合人民幣82元）。星巴克和亞馬遜無學歷要求的入門級職位最低時薪為15美元。一方面，疫情后的勞動力市場人才緊缺，但另一方面，托幼機構又給不起這么高的工資。
With inflation at a 40-year high, many parents are facing a dilemma — they can’t find child care, but they can’t afford to stay home.
當前美國通脹創下40年來最高水平，許多父母都面臨一個兩難的困境，既找不到托幼機構，又不能在家帶娃，因為不工作就沒錢花。
In Gearhart, a town of 1,900 residents about 14 miles south of Astoria, Karli Neilson takes time off and works part-time so that she can watch her 2-year-old son. She hasn’t been able to find formal care since he was born.
在阿斯托里亞市以南14英里左右、常住居民僅有1900人的吉爾哈特鎮，卡莉·尼爾森為了照顧2歲大的兒子辭掉全職工作干起了兼職。自從兒子出生以來她一直沒找到正規的托幼機構。
"It just got to be like a part-time job just doing the research and trying to find a place,” Neilson said. “Child care issues probably cause me more anxiety than anything else ever has in my life.”
尼爾森說：“光是托幼機構的調研和尋找也相當于一份兼職了。托幼問題給我帶來的焦慮可能比我生活中的其他任何事情曾給我帶來的焦慮都要多。”
英文來源：美聯社
翻譯&編輯：丹妮
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