Oregon was a childcare desert prior to the pandemic. These last few years have only worsened the situation and created a significant decrease in women workers who are now having to choose between working and caring for their children.
On March 15, The Advocate spoke to five women who are uniquely tied to this issue. At the Childcare Desert CitySpeak Forum, we spoke to:
- Helen Higgins – the CEO of the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis;
- Brenda Daigle – the Director of Corvallis Community Children’s Centers;
- Amy Luhn – the Director for Oregon State University Family Resource Center;
- Megan Pratt – the Coordinator of Oregon Child Care Research Partnership; and,
- Kate Porsche – the Economic Development Manager for the City of Corvallis.
What is a Childcare Desert?
Considering children aged birth-to-five in need of care, for every five of these kids there is one available spot at a childcare center or at-home daycare. For children over the age of five, there is one spot for every three kids.
One deterrent is the cost of care. At the Corvallis Community Children’s Centers, parents pay $1,400 per month, which means the center brings in about $50,000 per month. Of that, 80% goes to payroll, 10% to maintenance, and 10% to office expenses and teaching supplies. This center, run by Daigle, is a nonprofit.
If a family can afford the $16,800 per year to have their child in Daigle’s center, that doesn’t mean they would be able to sign up. The center currently has to limit its slots because they don’t have enough workers.
According to all of the panelists, the major issue facing childcare centers is finding qualified applicants. Part of that is due to Covid not allowing the centers to be as full as they once were. Another part is finding workers – who are generally women who often have children of their own – who can survive on the salaries offered.
Daigle said that, if they were to pay their workers what they are really worth, it would cost parents between $1,800 and $1,900 per month per child to get the care being given today.
Boys & Girls Club
Higgens said that even the Boys & Girls Club of Corvallis has had to change for the pandemic. Prior to Covid, they were able to serve about 1,000 kids in the K-12 age range, providing a structured environment which included job training for some.
Due to Covid limitations, they have been able to serve 125 kids. Where the other 875 kids went is unknown.
The Boys & Girls Club also opened a childcare center during the shutdown to provide assistance to essential workers. But even that center could only be open ten-and-a-half hours a day, while many essential workers – like doctors and nurses – have had to work around the clock.
Unfortunately, their sites are still dealing with caps on the number of kids allowed in due to a lack of employees.
Additionally, the Boys & Girls Club is constantly having to fundraise. Each year, they need to find at least half of their $2 million budget through donations. Meaning Higgens has to bring in at least $1 million to stay open.
How Could Childcare Evolve?
Luhn and Pratt see the research side of the issue from their positions at OSU.
Luhn noted that the pandemic taught the childcare industry that, while they knew that two-thirds of kids birth-to-five were in some type of childcare program, school aged children also required care of some sort.
Pratt added that now is an important time to create better public awareness that childcare is an issue in need of public investment at the country, state, and local levels.
Higgens reminded us that in the Biden Administration’s Build Back Better Plan, it was the money allocated to childcare which made lawmakers balk. She added that we need to make this problem a business community issue, and push our corporations and businesses to see childcare as a key investment in their employees.
The Economic Consequences
The issue of childcare is a serious concern for the city as it comes out of the pandemic, as parents have to make the decision of where to leave their children so they can reopen their businesses.
According to Porsche, more than two million women have dropped out of the workforce across the U.S. due to the Covid restrictions closing schools and daycare centers. What that means for Corvallis is that some small businesses may be closed additional days each week, and other small businesses will not be able to reopen at all.
So the city is putting together workgroups in an attempt to get more employees in the area and to create grants to assist in childcare costs. The hope is to create more flexibility for workers who are also parents.
The general consensus was that we need to see childcare as infrastructure.
At-Home Care
With the lack of spots available in childcare centers, many people rely on care in a home environment.
The panelists agreed that most at-home care for babies is still done by family members. There are also those care places for when parents work odd hours since centers tend to be open regular business hours only. Yet, the shortage of childcare still extends to at-home care providers.
What to Look for in Childcare
If you’re currently looking for a good childcare situation, there are some specifics to look for.
- Most important is to confirm that you have access to the program. You should be able to come to where your child is at will.
- Secondly, ask about the staff’s education and training.
- Next, ask about the adult-to-child ratios. If there is one person trying to care for ten kids, your child may not be very safe or happy in that environment.
- You should be allowed to preview the space where your child will be cared for. When you do, look for the level of cleanliness and for how well maintained the play areas are. Watch for teacher engagement – a teacher on their cell phone while the children play is a bad sign.
- Make sure that if the center has younger and older children, that they are separated by age. A sixth grader should not be engaging with a kindergartener unless it is in a mentoring fashion.
- And lastly, ask your child how they feel at the end of the day. Did they have fun at the center?
Covid Concerns
Many parents are worried about their child’s health as the mask mandate has gone away.
Daigle said that at her centers they will continue requiring masks until children under five can be safely vaccinated.
Higgens said that at the Boys & Girls Club they are following the school district’s lead. However, they are continuing to require floor staff to wear masks. They are also keeping an eye open for any bullying response toward kids who choose to still wear a mask.
Watch the full panel discussion here.
By Sally K Lehman
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