This is how America’s childcare crisis is killing careers

Faced with unaffordable childcare, low- and middle-income mothers often have to quit their jobs.

After a series of lower-paying jobs, Nicole Slemp finally landed one she loved. She was a secretary for Washington’s child services department, a job that came with her own cubicle, and she had a knack for working with families in difficult situations.

Slemp expected to return to work after having her son in August. But then she and her husband started looking for childcare—and doing the math.