Although it is awesome to hear your stories, I have to speak up. I am making a leap here, so PLEASE correct me if I am wrong, but from your stories (and I know you Pam I work reception at Child Welfare, hi!) I am guessing you are all caucasian. I think that there is a different type of poverty (except for Leanne's mom WOW) that most sociologists are talking about when class stratifications are brought into the mix. Minorities have a statistically harder road that takes the ability away for me to say that money is not to be heavily relied upon for classes. Without this qualifier we would be unable to see that the percentage of black in poverty is returning to the days of the 70s at 33.1% in 1994 and 33.5% in 1970. Or that with the exception of 1970, the ratio of black to white income has remained the same since 1950 at around .55 (American Ethnicity Aguirre& Turner). I was born half black and am treated and seen as a minority and black. The fact of the matter and why you may get a little depressed Pamela is because eyes are being opened. From the day I was born I statistically will average 55% annually of what a white person will get. Now I know that is not true because I have liberty over all things on Earth through Christ, but those are still very serious statistics and something that should make a lot of people finally go DANG! Without resource shares, business populated neighborhoods, educated members, funded schools, and a radical change in American policy nothing can be done. It reminds me of something my Pastor always says, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results." I think America is insane when it comes to class and race situations because we see the necessity, but do not want to do anything radical to finally balance many scales that should have been balanced properly long ago (ie slavery reparations, Native American justice, and changes to our judicial system). I love soc and poly sci because you see everything for what it is and you see the crazy opposition the truth is fighting against. So what I am trying to say is that money is what this is all about when you talk about government and sociology because without it you can not have programs, funding, schools, businesses, grants, loans (which blacks rarely get anyway), political campaigning, etc. It really is all about money when you talk about what it will take to improve classes. Oh, and Leanne, I see my daughter before 7:50 and after 5:20 every day. The Lord has blessed us with an awesome relationship and I do tons of things with her. I know a lot of parents that are around their children 24/7 and do not do anything interactive with them. I don't think that quantity is the important factor, but quality. I work full time, go to school part time, am in 3 ministries, and am a single mother. I am also 21 and my daughter is 4 and a half. My daughter has known a daycare provider during the school months ever since she was 5 months old. this last summer was the first I worked through, but was no less rewarding in our relationship. she is smart, very independent and I can already tell she is called to do some very awesome things for God. Over the computer you can't see facial expressions, so please do not think I am offended (I hate that about online courses!!), yet know that your family may be making the best decision for their families and their children. I know I am!