Image Source: (13) Playground42 | Facebook
In 2024, many parents with young children are grappling with financial challenges due to inflation, home prices, and child care fees. According to the most recent report from the Department of Labor, the unemployment rate for women is ticking upward.
What you need to know:
- The unemployment rate for white adult women rose to 3.1% from 3.0%, for Black women to 5.7% from 5.2%, and for Hispanic women to 4.5% from 4.1%. The overall unemployment rate also increased to 4.1% from 4.0%.
- High child care costs are a significant factor, with families spending 24% of their household income on child care, despite the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services considering it affordable at only 7%.
In Beavercreek, OH, one mother, Kayla Wilson, is addressing this challenge by launching ‘Playground42,’ an indoor play space and co-working area expected to open in October.
When her husband clocks into work, she’s on full-time mom duty with their two-year-old son Wyatt. Thanks to puzzles and toys in the playroom, she’s able to sneak in emails and get her own work done.
“It’s one of the best things I’ve ever done, being a stay-at-home, work-from-home mom, but it’s definitely very busy,” Wilson said. Wilson served for eight years in the U.S. Air Force and worked in mental health.
When she discovered she was pregnant, she decided to separate from the military. She has a Bachelor’s degree and is working on her Master’s, but being home is where she says she needs to be.
“A lot of it for me was I wanted to be present for my son, but I do feel like there’s definitely a bigger societal issue. For one, the cost of child care basically would be my full income,” said Wilson.
She’s not alone in the struggle. According to the Care.com 2024 Cost of Care Report, 2,000 families provided feedback. Once Wyatt was born, Wilson was on the hunt to find a place where parents could keep an eye on their kids while they played and get work done at the same time.
“Even on a national level, we found very few places like that that existed,” she said.
That’s where the idea for Playground42 came to life. Wilson is working to get the new concept of an indoor playground with a co-working space up and running.
“Being a new parent, something I struggled with a lot was feeling alone. Coming from the military background, I didn’t have family here. I didn’t really have many friends. I was still new to the area,” she said.
For Wilson, the sense of community is extremely important. So far there have been a lot of business challenges, but every day moving into the new building is getting a little bit closer.
“Right behind you here is going to be our coworking section where all the parents will get to hang out while they watch their kids play,” Wilson said as she gave a tour. The building is 1,500 square feet of possibilities.
“So right here the plan is for this space is to make it a nursing mother’s room, more of a quiet area where they can come in. I want to put a little mini fridge so you can pump and nurse and have your alone time in here,” she said.
The goal is to open by October. It’s been a long journey, but worth it.
“Being able to be present with my son while still being able to maintain an income and giving that to other families is really the end goal,” Wilson said.
