Photo by Casey Hicks Sue Kraft baby-sits her grandchildren Olivia and Tucker Doty while their parents work full time. As a former kindergarten teacher, Kraft has helped Olivia learn to read.

Emily Hores’ 8-year-old daughter Odessa has gotten sick in the middle of the night. Hores is divorced and has custody of her two children. But as the community relations director of Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center of Wheeling, she can’t afford to miss work, and Odessa is too sick to go to day care. Even though it’s late, Hores calls her retired father. He immediately offers to stay with his granddaughter for the day. In tough economic times like these, grandparents are stepping forward to help provide child care for their grandchildren. Some parents cannot afford to keep their children in day care, which the U.S. Census Bureau estimates is costing an average of $129 a week for families with children ages 5 and under. This is a particular burden in West Virginia, where the median household income is $33,993 — $10,341 beneath the national average. Odessa goes to day care and school, and Hores’ 2-year-old son Tyler goes to day care at Easter Seals. But Hores’ job requires her to sometimes work long hours to attend events in the evening or on weekends, times when traditional child care is not available. During these odd hours, Hores receives help from her mother, father and stepmother. “Any time I need them, they’re there,” Hores said of her parents. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to come into work.” Hores and her ex-husband used to live in Charlotte, N.C., but the couple decided to move back to Wheeling to be closer to family.