I grew up in foster care and became a young mom at 17. I aged out of care at 20 years old and have been on my own in New York since.

I’ve always been one to work, and as with many other mothers, the difficulties of childcare have been a constant battle.

As my child aged things became easier, especially when I was able to find after-school close to home. In 2017, I was fortunate to land a job at a bank that was accommodating to my scheduling needs. I thought all was well.

Then 2020 happened.