Challenges Child Care Providers Face

Sometimes people ask me why I spend so much time talking about #capital funding, #supply building, #zoning, and regulatory navigation supports for child care businesses. Well, here's why. The Colorado Department of Early Childhood recently released the Colorado Child Care Facility Needs Assessment, which is the first assessment of its kind in the state. The data is concerning and validates much of what our team members at EPIC, Executives Partnering to Invest in Children have heard in communities across our state: ❗ Nearly ALL family child care home providers (96%) and 72% of community-based child care center providers stated they did not have sufficient funds for necessary building improvements or urgent issues. ❗ One third of child care providers report facility costs and maintenance comprise 25% or more of their total operating revenue ❗ Over 70% of community-based centers and family child care homes turn families away because they lacked space at their program. ❗ Over half of all child care programs are interested in expanding and 36% of community-based centers are currently looking for new space - with access to capital and available space cited as the most significant barriers ❗ Nearly a fifth of providers ran into issues navigating zoning or code requirements, building permitting, or licensing in the past 5 years Most (all, if we are talking infants and toddlers) of our communities are lacking the supply they need. This IS an issue we must still address, and we can tackle this problem and others at the same time. Children AND early childhood teachers deserve and want to be in environments that are safe, comfortable, and high quality. I believe many people underestimate how much deferred maintenance and undesirable facility/environmental conditions contribute to the workforce crisis we see in this field. We would never maintain our commercial office buildings or other work environments in this way and expect companies or workers to want to work there. Capital funding and financing, incentives to create better access to low-cost real estate options, and technical assistance are all key to addressing this issue. I'm proud our state has taken some steps towards addressing these needs in Colorado and the National Children's Facilities Network is tackling this issue on a national level, but we still have so much more work to do. You can read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/d6cb6wz2

Nearly half of Mississippi's children live in child care deserts, with 60% of rural kids facing limited access to early education. In these areas, when a teacher calls out, programs often have no choice but to close for the day, leaving parents scrambling and children without care. I've heard over and over that modern child care solutions don't work in rural communities. ❌ "Wonderschool might work in big cities, but it won't work in rural areas." ❌ "There aren't enough providers or teachers." ❌ "Adopting new technology will be too complicated!" In my heart (and from my experience) this totally misses the mark. Here's a story of change that I'm so inspired by. Kristie runs a child care program in rural Mississippi, where finding substitute teachers used to be nearly impossible. Determined to offer quality care even when she needed to call out, she partnered with Wonderschool and was able to utilize SubPool—an on-demand network connecting her with qualified substitute teachers. With SubPool, Kristie now maintains a 1:4 teacher-to-child ratio, significantly better than the state's standard of 1:20. Kristie's commitment, combined with innovative support, is transforming child care in her community. It's a testament to what's possible when we invest in our providers and rethink solutions to long-standing challenges. A night and day difference in quality care! I believe the solution to rural child care is right here, in front of us. For state leaders trying to solve this—isn't it worth trying something that's already working? #childcare #policy #ruraldevelopment #government

1 in 5 families in the US live in a child care desert. How can we change this? A key solution is increasing child care supply by making it easier for family child care educators to access to affordable housing to run their child care programs. Since family child care is home-based, securing housing is essential for educators to run successful programs. And this isn’t a bipartisan issue: both conservative and progressive states recognize the importance of affordable housing for family child care educators and have enacted supportive policies. However, discriminatory barriers in some states still prevent educators from accessing affordable housing, including: •Requiring family child care providers to own their home to become licensed. While this is a goal for many FCC educators, it is often unattainable for many educators just starting out limiting their ability to open a child care program. This is particularly challenging in lower income or historically underinvested communities. Prohibiting home-based child care in apartment buildings makes it nearly impossible for family child care educators in large cities to serve their communities. •Imposing excessive fees and requiring multiple agency visits for licensing, while a single licensing agency could streamline the process. To solve the child care crisis, we must also address the housing crisis. Housing policy is a core part of ensuring that every family has access to quality care. We hosted a series of meeting with FCC leaders across the country to share challenges and best practices. I’ll link to some examples in the comments. Without housing, home-based child care is not possible…which means we won’t be able to address the child care desert. So let’s start there.