Not just a 'mom' issue -- Lack of early childcare affects employers, economic development

Wednesday, October 9, 2019
From left, Elizabeth Everett, Senior Policy Associate, and Alexis Zgud, Communications Associate with First Five Nebraska joined Marti Beard, Associate Vice President Early Childhood Programs with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation at Sehnert’s Bakery on Tuesday for Coffee with a Cop. They discussed statewide efforts being made to improve access to early childhood education in Nebraska.
Shary Skiles/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. -- Having access to quality, reliable and affordable childcare is not simply a “mom” issue according to Marti Beard, Associate Vice President of Early Childhood Programs with Nebraska Children and Families Foundation. Lack of quality childcare effects employers, economic development, retention and attraction of a young workforce to a community, and the future success of those children in school and society, Beard told those gathered at Sehnert’s Bakery Tuesday for Coffee with a Cop.

Beard went on to tell the gathering about Red Cloud, a small community in south central Nebraska that saw the need for childcare and worked together to create The Valley Child Development Center. As a direct result of the availability of childcare, Red Cloud has been able to attract several younger people back to the community, including an entrepreneurial family who purchased the local grocery store.

Andy Long, director of McCook Economic Development Corp., said that McCook also has a shortage of high-quality, affordable early care programs, especially as it relates to infant care (six weeks to 18 months) partially because the required ratio of adults to infants is 4 to 1. The ratio for toddlers (age 18 months to three years) is 6 to 1; and preschoolers (age 3 and above) is 10 to 1.

The problem was brought to Long’s attention by Community Hospital executives, who expressed concern over losing healthcare providers because they couldn’t find childcare. The problem is particularly troublesome for those providers who work night shifts.

According to Long, this challenge doesn’t necessarily have “marketplace” solutions. The state average cost for childcare of a newborn is $1,200-$1,400 per month. However, Beard stated that that amount does not cover the cost of providing care, and it is unaffordable for many.

Elizabeth Everett, Senior Policy Associate with First Five Nebraska, told the gathering that Nebraska ranks #1 in the country for single mothers with children under the age of six working full-time jobs; #2 in the country for both parents in the household working full-time jobs; and #2 in the country for at least one care-giver in the household working a full-time, year-round job and still living in poverty. Even with that high demand for childcare, 84% of Nebraska’s counties do not have enough childcare access to meet current demand.

Everett lobbies at the state and federal level to encourage legislators to invest in quality early care programs and to help provide resources for early childhood workforce. In addition, her organization works to advocate for the early childhood industry. “It’s really not that affordable to be an early childcare employee,” Everett said. “On average they make between $18,000 and $22,000 per year, and if that is your primary income, it’s difficult to live on.” She lobbies for tax incentives, grants, and other resources to help the industry provide more quality care.

Long said that McCook has a number of local providers, “and a lot of them do really good work. But the challenge with each of them is on the financial side, it doesn’t make a lot of sense to take infants.” Some preliminary proposals to help alleviate the problem include providing financials incentives to licensed providers who will take additional infants; providing educational and financial help to providers who want to start an in-home business; and to help with forgivable student loans for those interested in going into an early childhood education career. Long said that the MEDC is looking into the logistics of using sales tax growth funds to accomplish some of these goals, as well as partnering with the McCook Community Foundation Fund Committee and local employers to provide funding.

Beard applauded the approach that is being implemented in McCook. She said that many communities initially approach the problem by starting with a new facility or building. “You’ve got incredible people in your community that care a lot about kids and are already doing the work and so really building on your strengths is something that we are continually talking to communities about.” She said that engaging current providers and finding out their concerns is key to long-term sustainability.

Everett said that First Five Nebraska has an initiative called Nebraska Early Childhood Policy Leadership Academy which focuses on preparing participants to engage policymakers and stakeholders in strengthening Nebraska’s local and statewide early childhood infrastructure. Cynthia Huff and Tasha Wulf, both of McCook, are part of the current Policy Leadership class, and throughout the six-month training process will be involved in assessing McCook’s early childhood resources and needs, learning about the policy-making process, and building skills to shape the conversation about early childhood’s impact on community vitality and growth.

“This group talks about making Nebraska the best place to be a kid,” commented Long. “We can make McCook the best place in Nebraska to be a kid.”

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