Idaho teacher, 67, retires and moves across US as childcare costs match mortgage

Mary Jo Galusha, 67, a school teacher from Idaho, had a clear picture of how her retirement would look. Quiet mornings, self-care, reading time, and maybe a little gardening. Then her daughter, Stacia Bourne, called with news. Bourne’s first child’s daycare bill nearly matched the family mortgage. Bourne and her husband even hesitated to have a second child. But that ended in a question: could they actually afford a second baby?"We were thinking we couldn't afford it," Bourne, a University of Delaware psychology professor who lives in Maryland, told NPR. So, Galusha decided to help. She now looks after her grandchildren. Her retirement plan looks more than perfect. And for the couple, this decision is nothing short of a blessing.Leaving Idaho for grandkidsStacia Bourne and her husband had their first child, George, in 2020. He started daycare when he was 2, but the cost wasn’t something they expected.