Lorenzo Jankans: Childcare Obstacles “Detrimental to Me Keeping a Job”

Story By: Bruce Poinsette

Illustration By: Paola De La Cruz

This story is made possible by a grant from the Oregon Community Foundation.

With two sons, 8 and 5 years old, Lorenzo Jankans relies heavily on childcare. However, finding childcare that syncs up with his work schedule has been tumultuous.

“It can be hard sometimes,” says Jankans. “That childcare is detrimental to me keeping a job.”

He recently started a new job as a forklift driver, which has him working the graveyard shift from 7 pm to 6 am Monday through Thursday. Jankans says he was lucky to find a neighbor who was willing to watch his oldest son overnight during his work days. Meanwhile, his youngest son usually stays with his mother, who Jankans shares custody. He takes care of him on weekends. 

When Jankans has to work overtime on Fridays, he has to find a babysitter.

The COVID 19 pandemic greatly complicated Jankans’ childcare situation. He was laid off from his job and would spend most of the next two years on unemployment because of the difficulty of finding a job that could accommodate his childcare needs.

He says the time was especially difficult for his sons because they didn’t have many activities to keep them occupied. The food costs also increased with Jankans having to cover more meals.

Now that the two boys are back in daycare, the primary issue has shifted to cost. According to Jankans, daycare during the summer was costing $250 a week for his youngest and $300 a week for his oldest.

Growing up in Portland, Jankans had a different childcare experience with his parents. He remembers getting dropped off at the Salvation Army by his parents and attending other daycare spaces.

“From what I remember, I was always busy,” he says. “I never had daycare with family. It was always at a facility.”

One thing he distinctly remembers about the various facilities he spent time in was that there weren’t that many Black providers. Most of the people who watched him at these places were either Middle Eastern or white, he says. Fast forward to today and the people primarily watching his two sons are Black or Puerto Rican.

When Jankans dreams of an ideal childcare system, he envisions 24 hour service that is tied to people’s employers. He also desires to see more mentorship involvement and resources, especially for single parents like him.

“I was lucky to find someone to watch my son overnight,” says Jankans. “That’s not the case for every parent.”