application process is. figuring out if there are vacancies. then, you have to apply and it's -- it's cutthroat. sometimes, you have to apply over a year in advance just to land a spot, and then you have to wait -- um -- to -- to get that spot. and then, of course, as you mentioned, there are equity implications to all of this. >> yeah. >> not only is it -- does it require savvy and time to go about doing all of those things. but oftentimes, lower-income people and even middle-income people, they have to fill out a bunch of other forms to get that financial aid. and notably, only one in seven families who is eligible for that aid for -- for that aid to pay for childcare actually gets it. >> um, there was another great quote -- um -- from your piece that really stuck to me. and it was the patchwork system exists because there seems to be this fundamental belief that women should be at home with their children. you talked to a lot of women for this piece, and much of the