Multiple states have beefed up their child care investments in recent years, but it’s generally not enough to keep all providers afloat
For the past eight years in the small city of Waupaca, Wisconsin, Susan Elandt has been a fixture for dozens of families — taking care of their children, some as early as 4:45 a.m., so they can get to work.
“It’s emotionally and physically and mentally demanding,” Elandt says. “There’s not benefits. The pay is not anywhere near what it should be. And we don’t get a lot of professional recognition in the community, either, for the value of the work that we do.” While the price of keeping children in care is sky-high, the burden of running these centers is equally unsustainable. Running a center comes with a battery of expenses, from hefty insurance policies to “consumables” such as art supplies, books and food. Tight margins don’t leave much room for the biggest cost — staff — which is also Elandt’s biggest challenge.
“It’s very humbling to go to work every day and pass Help Wanted signs at McDonald’s and Hardee’s, and they are paying more money than child care providers can afford to pay their staff,” says Lydia Higgins, a teacher at My First Adventure. An analysis last year by The Century Foundation projected that more than 70,000 child care programs could close and about 3.2 million children could lose their spots due to the end of the federal child care stabilization grant program, which Congress approved as part of the 2021 American Rescue Plan Act. .
As more and more child care providers and parents find themselves struggling through this crisis, she hopes bigger picture solutions will emerge.
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