Tackling The Mom Mental Health Crisis
Moms of young children faced elevated levels of financial stress and isolation during the pandemic. A new platform, June Care, promises a path back to financial stability, mental wellness and community for parents in California.
New moms were already more prone to experience depression and anxiety in a pre-pandemic world. A recent study by The Journal of Affective Disorders shows that 10 - 25% of new mothers were already affected by anxiety and/or depression prior to March of 2020. Since then, the percentage of moms impacted by clinically significant levels of anxiety and depression has skyrocketed to 40% - 79% according to frontiers in global women's health. The highest impacted groups are pregnant / postpartum women or parents struggling financially to meet their children’s basic needs.
The mental health crisis among moms is mainly attributed to financial stress and isolation. As has been well reported, the United States is the only wealthy country in the world with no paid maternity leave for new moms. This already puts many new mothers in an impossible scenario where they need to physically recover and care for a new life while trying to figure out how to cover their family’s basic financial needs.
In addition to the lack of financial support, parents of young children are also subject to our nation’s childcare crisis which prevents many mothers from going back to work to earn a stable income. More than half of American families live in childcare deserts, where there is only 1 childcare seat for every 3 families who need it. This crisis only got worse during the pandemic with nearly 16,000 providers across the U.S. permanently closing between December 2019 and March 2021. In fact more than 2 million working moms were pushed out of the workforce during that same timeframe to care for and educate their children. Unfortunately, signs of recovery for childcare access and resources for new parents have yet to arrive.
Beyond financial stress, many mothers of young children struggle with feelings of isolation and a lack of emotional support. Between not sleeping at night, juggling nap times, diaper changes, activity schedules and most of the household responsibilities (grocery shopping, laundry, cleaning, cooking, etc.) moms are left with little opportunity to connect with other families, plan playdates or meet-ups or find the social-emotional connections they need to maintain healthy levels of mental wellness. Research shows that emotional connection and emotional support, particularly from local sources, helps dramatically mitigate anxiety and depression for families, particularly mothers.
Even as the world starts to open back up, moms of little kids risk being left behind. Mothers still struggle to find childcare and/or opportunities to earn money while they are caring for their kids. They also find it hard to ask for help (or offer it) since everyone has become more isolated and “self-sufficient” as a result of lockdowns and health scares associated with COVID-19. It is a fact, however, that people everywhere - especially new moms - need community and emotional support (e.g. friends!) in order to combat anxiety, depression, loneliness and financial insecurity.
Fortunately, June Care is working to connect parents of young children in a way that both embraces the success of today’s gig platforms while harkening back to a time when families were able to live in community and rely on each other.
June Care connects parents who need childcare with stay-at-home parents who can care for their kids. The platform invites parents to ask for help, and offer help to each other in a way that is bringing communities back together across California. Thanks to June Care’s seamless onboarding and matching process, families easily connect with each other to book or host (paid) playdates. Each match is an opportunity for moms and their families to socialize, connect and contribute to their own mental wellness and the family balance sheet. The model works because it’s about moms supporting moms in their most important work (whether that work is care work in the home or work outside of the home).
Since launching in the Bay Area of California in September 2021, June Care has served almost 6,000 families and continues to grow rapidly, thanks to moms telling other moms about the incredible service.
“Not only are the children who are being cared for in an environment hand-picked by their parents but it also helps support stay-at-home mothers who need to create some type of income.”
The best part about the June Care experience are the connections that are formed between families in support of one another. “June” stands for Joining Up Neighbors Everywhere and the platform is doing just that. Once families are able to rely on each other for access to the childcare and income they need, moms don’t need to live in isolation or fear of financial insecurity which helps to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Most exciting is the impact these June Care communities will have on our children. Our kids need to see us working together, across socio-economic, racial and cultural divides in service to building stronger, more loving societies that help everyone reach their full potential.
“I already have suggested June Care to others! I like that it’s essentially women supporting women (mothers!)”
No one is coming to save us, moms. But together, we can heal and grow and create a beautiful village. Parents who are interested in joining the June Care community as care seekers or care providers can sign-up for free at Junecare.co.
