Finding Care After an Unexpected Loss

After losing her husband, Jessica found child care assistance that helped her youngest daughter receive safe, loving care while she worked.

Jessica Barker | Parent

Using child care for my youngest daughter was never part of the plan, but when my husband, her father and primary caregiver, passed away suddenly when she was just two years old, all of my plans had to change.

Friends and family stepped in temporarily to care for her while I worked, but I needed to find child care as quickly as possible. Once I found a great placement for her, the reality of having to pay for that care settled in. As a widowed, single mom with four school-aged children and one toddler, the funds needed to pay for child care were non-existent.

Child Action saved the day. I was able to apply for and receive the assistance we needed to make sure my daughter could be cared for in a safe, loving, and educational environment.

With all the other burdens I was shouldering and the other financial stress I was facing, this support was a tremendous blessing. I don’t know what we would have done without Child Action. I’m so grateful that programs like this exist to support families and children in need.