在疫情和通胀的双重影响下，美国各地特别是乡村区域的托育危机愈发紧急。美国有11个州至少有60%的居民地处“托育荒漠”，找不到托幼机构的爸爸妈妈们只能被迫离职或从事兼职工作。
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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 wher future
embryos are in line for a spot at Amy Atkinson’s nursery and preschool.
美国紧急的托育服务短缺问题已经深入乡村社区，在西北部俄勒冈州的一个县，大家早在试管婴儿的胚胎时期就开始在当地的幼儿园——艾米·阿特金森幼儿园排队。
"We have children that have not been implanted yet that are on our waitlist,”
said Atkinson, referring to in vitro fertilization. “It’s desperation.”
阿特金森幼儿园称：“有些胚胎还未被移植到人体内，就已经登记排队等着上大家幼儿园，这是一种多么绝望的心态。”
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.
从俄勒冈州到纽约，托幼需要远远超越了供给。受新冠肺炎疫情的影响，再加上通货膨胀致使创下历史新低的薪资水平进一步缩水，托育从业职员短缺问题日益加剧，从而使得美国家庭越发绝望。
Half of US residents live in child care deserts wher 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.
就这一问题发布报告的自由党派智库美国进步中心称，半数美国居民住在“托育荒漠”区域，在这里不到三分之一的幼儿有机会进入合法托幼机构。托幼难迫使很多爸爸妈妈换工作、降低工作时长或干脆离职。
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.
新冠肺炎疫情凸显了全美的托育危机，据估计有10%的托育项目已停办。美国儿童保育意识中心的报告显示，2019年12月至2021年3月期间，37个州累计约1.6万个托育项目已经永久关停。美国儿童保育意识中心是全美性质的托育资源查阅互联网。
Oregon is among 11 states wher at least 60% of residents live in a child
care desert, according to Center for American progress data. Utah ranks highest,
with 77%.
美国进步中心的数据显示，美国有11个州至少有60%的居民地处“托育荒漠”，俄勒冈州就是其中之一。犹他州的“托育荒漠”化程度最高，77%的居民所在地缺少托育资源。
Child care deserts are disproportionately in low-income urban and rural
communities. In cities, day cares tend to be concentrated in wealthier
neighborhoods and cosplayts 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乡社区所占的比率特别大。美国进步中心发现，城市里的日托所一般都集中在比较富有些社区，价格也非常昂贵。但乡村区域更可能出现托育服务短缺问题，而且问题更紧急，不少社区根本没托育设施。美国进步中心2018年的一份报告发现，59%的乡村社区是“托育荒漠”，相比之下，城市和郊区社区的这一比率分别是56%和44%。
Low pay and lack of benefits are fueling the nationwide shortage, as
providers scramble to retain workers.
薪资低和福利差引发了全美托育资源的短缺，由于托幼机构非常难留住职员。
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.
美国劳工统计局2021年5月的数据显示，托育从业职员的平均时薪是11.43USD。星巴克和亚马逊无学历需要的基础知识级职位最低时薪为15USD。一方面，疫情后的劳动力市场人才紧缺，但其次，托幼机构又给不起这么高的薪资。
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.
目前美国通胀创下40年来最高水平，很多爸爸妈妈都面临一个两难的困境，既找不到托幼机构，又不可以在家带娃，由于不工作就没钱花。
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.
在阿斯托里亚市以南14英里左右、常住居民仅有1900人的吉尔哈特镇，卡莉·尼尔森为了照顾2岁大的儿子辞掉全职工作干起了兼职。自从儿子出生以来她一直没找到合法的托幼机构。
"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.”
尼尔森说：“光是托幼机构的调查和探寻也等于一份兼职了。托幼问题给我带来的焦虑可能比我日常的其他什么事情曾给我带来的焦虑都要多。”
英文来源：美联社
