New Moms and Moms-to-Be, Here's What You Ought to Know About The Candidates

If you're a new mom or mom-to-be, you've got loads to celebrate: bring new life into the world, becoming a parent, fulfilling one of the most epic of milestones, the election of a presidential candidate.

There's no doubt you've already learned that having a child brings an enormous amount of responsibility. It's a huge investment of time and money. If you look at the bright side of our government you'll be happy to know that you're not alone though, quite a bit of that weight will rest on the government's shoulders. That is to say, depending on who is on office during that time. So before you head off to the poles tomorrow, we put together a breakdown of how our two main candidates want to deal with parents and their kids.

Child Care

This was a huge issue in the recent Canadian election, but it hasn't gotten quite as much airtime here. Sweden offers universally accessible, income-adjusted daycare for children before they enter school, and many other countries have similar policies. As of 2014 the Child Care and Development Fund makes money available to states, but there have been notable hiccups like Mississippi refusing money for poor families altogether. (Photo via Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images)

What do the candidates think? Hillary Clinton: Universal preschool for four-year-olds within the next 10 years. Donald Trump: Nothing.

Affordable Housing

If you spend more than 30 percent of your income on housing, you are considered "cost burdened." Yet 12 million households in America use more than 50 percent of their annual income on having a place to live. Money being a finite resource for individuals, the more one spends on one item, the less one has for everything else. That means an astounding number of families and people in the US have less than half their income left for everything from food to health insurance to retirement or college savings. While it's not always framed this way, affordable housing is absolutely an issue for families and new parents. (Photo via John Moore/Getty Images)

What do the candidates think?

Hillary Clinton: Put $25 billion toward building more affordable housing. Donald Trump: Donald is not particularly pro-affordable housing. In fact, he gave up on the affordable-housing developments his father created.

Parental Leave

American parental leave policies lag far behind the developed world. The US is the only country in the industrialized world, and one of just four total, that doesn't offer paid maternity leave from the federal government. Only 12 percent of private-sector workers have access to paid leave, and major cities like New York and D.C. are implementing paid leave for city workers this year. As so often happens, the lowest-paid, least job-secure workers are the least likely to benefit. (Photo via George Marks/Getty Images)

What do the candidates think?

Hillary Clinton: Guarantee at least 12 weeks of paid family leave (available to either parent). Donald Trump: "It's certainly something that's being discussed." Nothing in his platform.

Public Education

By grade eight, just under one third of public-school students are deemed "proficient" or better in math, and barely more than one third are "proficient" or above in reading. This despite the fact that as of 2010, the US spent more than any other G-20 nation on primary and secondary education. Underpaid, overworked teachers and crumbling schools make the news constantly. If your child is in public school, or will be, the next president's plans to address education will be extremely important. (Photo via Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

What do the candidates think?

Hillary Clinton: Make quality education available across the country. (No specifics.) Donald Trump: End common core, which is "a disaster."

So just remember, when you head off to the poles tomorrow what our candidates have in mind for your family and what's on their priority list.

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