“After Bryan Kang’s son was born in July, the occupational therapist and his wife, a teacher, started looking for child care in the Los Angeles area. The couple called eight day care centers: Some didn’t have spots for months; others stopped taking their calls and some never answered at all.

“So with no viable options, Kang scrambled to find a new job that would allow him to work remotely.

“ ‘I told my manager, “Hey, by the end of the month, I have to transition out,” ’ Kang said. ‘They were very supportive and very understanding because they’re all mothers. But now there’s one less body to see patients.’

“Kang said he’s fortunate he found a job teaching online classes, but the unexpected career pivot forced him to take an 11% pay cut.

“The truth is, even if he could find a day care spot for his now 3-month-old son, the $2,500 monthly cost of infant care is so high that taking a lower-paying job so he can work from home and care for the baby is the most financially sensible thing to do.”

— “Exacerbated by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy,” by Sally Ho and Josh Boak, the AP, October 27, 2021