Many rural families are stuck in an impossible situation, and fixing the childcare crisis is a first step to help them

(Credit: Andrii Zorii—Getty Images)

Breanna Dietrich was on the wait list at a day care before her daughter was even born. Nearly two years later, a slot has yet to open up. 

Even if there was an opening at a childcare center in her hometown of Wheeling, W.Va., Dietrich isn’t sure she’d be able to afford it. “I have no idea what I can afford. The thought of that makes my chest hurt,” she tells Fortune.