Danielle Caldwell has been operating her home-based child care program, The Children’s Room, for 27 years. But lately, she’s been considering other career options.

The North Carolina child care provider has long known that her work would not lead to riches, but years ago, that was less of a concern.

“When I got into this, it was about making it fun. It was all about the kids,” says Caldwell, who started her business shortly after becoming a mother. “I wasn’t thinking about the future.”

Now, though, she’s thinking about little else. Caldwell is 56 years old, and she’s tired. She knows she can’t handle the physical demands of working with young children forever — several of her peers in the Durham area have developed back problems from the constant bending down and picking up, she notes — and like anyone else, she hopes to retire at some point.

Whether she can afford to is another question.