Affording And Finding Child Care In Appalachia Was A Challenge Before The Pandemic — Now It’s Worse

Right now, Congress is debating spending trillions of dollars to boost the country’s infrastructure. That covers roads and bridges, of course, but also what’s being called “soft infrastructure” — things like childcare.

During the pandemic, parents have faced pressures and decisions unlike any before in human history. How do you balance it all, and maintain positivity, in the midst of all these challenges? For many mothers, we’re not just talking about parenting questions — but also how to balance that against work. 

This week on Inside Appalachia, we meet parents like Megan Hullinger, a single mom with four kids in Pocahontas County. It took her nearly three years to get a spot at a childcare center for her son Nathan. 

Also in this episode, we’ll hear how indigenous people whose ancestors were forced out of Appalachia are reconnecting with their food heritage through pawpaws. Joel Barnes is one of the major guardians of Shawnee culture and language in the present day. Barnes, who is a tribal member, lives in Miami, Oklahoma, and is the language and archives director for the Shawnee Tribe. Barnes said that the Shawnee marked time by phases of the moon, and they used the fruit to mark one of those phases.

"The word for pawpaw is ha'siminikiisfwa. That means pawpaw month. It's the month of September," Barnes said. "That literally means pawpaw moon. That moon would indicate that was the time the pawpaws were ripe and it was time to go pick them and probably also indicated, 'Hey, we're getting close to winter.'"