Single mother Tasha Buffin is ready, willing and able to work hard to achieve her dream of being self-sufficient. But there is one big obstacle to her success.
When I was a little girl growing up in East Oakland, I dreamed about becoming a lawyer because I had witnessed a lot of injustice and I loved debating my classmates. I wanted to become a lawyer to help people.
Despite my dreams, I am not yet a lawyer. I’m a young single parent struggling to pull my children and myself out of poverty.
Instead of courtrooms, clients, and cases, I’m navigating the tangle of social services that keep my family fed and off the streets. And I am grateful for the support, but my goal is to be self-sufficient so I won’t have to depend on the system. But that’s nearly impossible without safe, affordable and accessible childcare for my two amazing young children.
My son attends second grade and my daughter is in a half-day pre-school so their school time overlaps only two hours. That’s not nearly the coverage I need. Family and friends help out with child care when they can, but I can’t commit to a job with piecemeal, unreliable care. Full day preschool for my daughter would allow me to work, but I have searched long and far, and every program in our area has a waiting list with dozens of families.