When I became a single mother, my children were 2 and 4 years old. The change in her life at this time was undeniable, but what remained constant was her early childhood education program, an integral part of her childhood.
One of her teachers, Helen, was particularly prevalent in our home, and she became our yardstick for the world. “What would Helen say?” or “What would Helen do?” could be heard at any time of the day; In fact, one day, when I was distracted and curt, my daughter asked me, “Mom, what would Helen say about your tone?”
This unique educator was suddenly an integral part of not only my children’s lives, but mine as well. I had known the importance of childcare before, but the importance of childcare and its accessibility has remained ambiguous ever since.
When Connecticut’s budget proposal was presented earlier this year, the actual importance of child care was noticeably missing. The lack of budgetary financial support led to the mobilization of 2,000 providers, educators, and parents statewide to advocate for the resources needed to keep child care running in the state. On International Women’s Day, March 8th, many daycare centers for young children opened late to celebrate “A Morning Without Childcare”. They too had to show the impact of the lack of childcare services in their local communities. Without access to program funding and family accessibility, our state’s children are left without quality care and education, the essential tools needed to create opportunity in their lives.
Instead of supporting teachers with living wages and reducing the burden of high tuition fees on parents, the governor’s proposal reduced the number of families eligible for the Care4Kids childcare grants.
For years, early childhood care and child education programs have faced an uphill battle of not being a priority. Families pay too much, educators earn too little, programs can’t survive, businesses can’t thrive, and kids are caught in the middle.
Parents pay an average of $30,000 per year for two children, while educators earn an average of $14.97 per hour in the nursing facility and $8.50 per hour in home care. To have a sustainable economy, no Connecticut family should have to spend more than 7 percent of their income on childcare costs, and ensuring pay increases for educators must match those of their peers.
The state’s budget proposal is the last thing Connecticut needs at a time when teachers are leaving the field for higher-paying jobs and are ultimately not returning. As a result, without enough qualified staff, childcare providers are operating below pre-pandemic capacity, closing classrooms and limiting enrollments.
Not only has this current reality harmed providers and children’s ability to receive appropriate care and education, the shortage of spaces and educators has disrupted parents’ careers and put pressure on businesses. In a survey commissioned by Childcare for Connecticut’s Future Coalition last fall, 81 percent of business leaders said their organization faced challenges stemming from a lack of affordable early care options for their employees.
These are just some of the consequences that our state’s families and educators are suffering. Continuing to ignore and underfund these critical programs harms both child care providers and the future of our state by ignoring its children, parents and businesses.
With so many gathering for the March 8 rallies, attention should be drawn to the fact that some of our state’s most important workers have been marginalized for far too long. Now there is no request, but a demand for better options with smart legislative solutions to fill the gaps.
In order to bring about an immediate change, we must secure funding for all licensed facilities and family care providers to adopt the Board of Early Childhood Education’s compensation scale. This will aim to achieve parity with educational peers, starting with immediate compensation improvements. In addition, we must increase enrollment for all state subsidy programs, maintain Care4Kids eligibility at 60 percent of state median income, and raise reimbursement rates to the 75th percentile.
In the longer term, we must expand families’ access to childcare and ensure that no family spends more than 7 percent of their income on childcare, with an additional $700 million investment as a down payment for a stronger transformation to fund the true cost of care.
Legislative solutions with investment in childcare at all levels of government will always be critical to ensure our state’s future is prosperous.
By recognizing the need for this investment, we can have a prosperous economy and a sustainable childcare system. Just as my family thrived thanks to Helen’s childcare support. Neither is possible without the other, but solutions are.
So what is Connecticut waiting for? Why haven’t our elected officials prioritized the very people shaping Connecticut’s future?
Connecticut, what would Helen say about your tone?
Allyx Schiavone is executive director of the Friends Center for Children in New Haven and co-chair of the Child Care for Connecticut’s Future coalition.
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