MoneyWatch: October 2006

Home-to-Work Transition After Having a Child

Finances often play a role in deciding if a parent should make the home-to-work transition from new child care leave. Every family is different, whether the individual returns to work because they want to if it is a financial obligation, the decision can be difficult. Many women and men take up to six weeks of maternity leave, which can be an economic burden.

According to an article by the RAND Population Research Center titled ‘Time Out’ for New Mothers: Some Issues for Maternity-Leave Policy, “research suggest that the higher the potential earnings of women, the more likely they are to work, and the higher the husbands’ earnings, the less likely they are to work.”

Linda Jonides, P.N.P says this list below will accomplish the back-to-work transition with more ease and less stress.

Finding Support
Managing Your Time
Selecting Child Care
Deciding When to go Back to Work
Making Time for Yourself

It pays to learn about your options. Below are several resources that can help make your transition easier.

Local and State Resources

State of Ohio Government Info and Services: Day Care and Pre-K

National Resources

360 Financial Literacy: Maternity and Child Care
Club Mom: Five Steps to Make the Transition Easier
Work Options: How to Create a Phase-Back-to-Work Plan
Jobs and Moms: To Work or Not to Work?

Support for MoneyWatch is made possible by Charter One Foundation.

Research assistance for MoneyWatch is from Cleveland State University Nance College of Business Administration.