October 22, 2020
The child care landscape is constantly shifting as new research and findings reveal new layers to the crisis. As providers continue to struggle with low enrollment and the increased cost of providing care, states are almost out of federal relief funding.
Parents are facing challenges of their own as an already unaffordable service combined with severe shortages leave parents without options. If the child care industry collapses, the economy will not recover. Women, in particular, are being forced to leave the workforce in droves.
The demand for early learning is strong, as popular programs like Head Start provide more opportunities for young learners. A range of options for parents, including home-based care, have widespread support as does voluntary home visiting.
| NATIONAL NEWS Covid-19 and child care: What the latest research says Washington Post | 10/22/20 Although sending their offspring back to day care would provide a welcome respite to parents who are both working and caring for young children, many have been hesitant — fearful of exposing their children and themselves to the novel coronavirus. The Rise of the ‘Carebnb’: Is This Home-Based Model the Future of the Childcare Industry? TIME | 10/21/20 Despite the number of children they care for, however, these home-based day-care centers have often been overlooked… since more than 90% of them are not regulated, and it’s difficult to get a clear idea of the standard of care. We have a gap in producing quality child-care and what parents can afford to pay: Expert Yahoo Money | 10/21/20 Linda Smith, Bipartisan Policy Center’s Director of Early Childhood Initiative joins the On the Move panel to discuss the impact of COVID on the child-care industry. |
| IN THE STATES ALABAMA Survey: Alabama child care enrollment down by 23,000 kids AL.com | 10/21/20 Enrollment in child care centers across Alabama has dropped by more than 23,000 children since the coronavirus pandemic began even though most facilities have reopened, a new state report showed Wednesday. CALIFORNIA Preschool Struggles to Stay Open During COVID-19 The Independent | 10/22/20 New Horizons cut back its hours of service to conserve money over a longer period, so the most teachers possible could be paid. The old hours were from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Now, the hours run from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. ILLINOIS Chicago has a goal of preschool for every child. Will COVID-19 set that effort back? Chicago Tribune | 10/22/20 After a spring of remote learning struggles and a summer defined by the pandemic, some parents held off on having their children start school for the first time, and CPS has seen a huge drop this fall in pre-K enrollment, particularly among Black children. MASSACHUSETTS Economy will suffer until child care crisis is resolved, Boston Fed finds Worcester Business Journal | 10/21/20 The ability for working parents to find child care is likely to fall far short of demand, posing a challenge to a recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, according to a publication co-authored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. MISSISSIPPI Childcare centers noticing less sickness after months of heavy safety measures WLOX | 10/21/20 Guidelines and recommendations were issued in late August from the Mississippi State Department of Health, and since then, childcare centers have developed their own plan to ensure safety. NEW JERSEY With NJ child care in crisis due to COVID, women are leaving workforce in droves NorthJersey.com | 10/21/20 Across the nation, mothers have had to make the difficult choice to slash work hours or quit jobs as they strain under child care and homeschooling obligations. Even when child care is available, many say they can’t afford it… NORTH CAROLINA Relief funds support home-based child care as a key part of early education during and after the pandemic EdNC | 10/21/20 In North Carolina, early education leaders are looking to home-based providers, often called family child care homes, to fill shortages in infant and toddler care and meet parents’ evolving needs. NORTH CAROLINA NC kindergarten enrollments slump. What that could mean for this year and next Star News Online | 10/22/20 The 13% decrease in kindergarten was the largest enrollment drop of any grade level. And while public school enrollment has plummeted across the board this year, with 62,000 fewer students, kindergarten accounts for nearly a quarter of the total decrease. PENNSYLVANIA Your View on Pennsylvania’s child care crisis: How will families return to work? The Morning Call | 10/22/20 The November general election is meaningful in many ways, but with a global pandemic blanketing our nation, a handful of issues has cropped up as urgent necessities in a successful recovery. Child care tops this list. PENNSYLVANIA Letter to the Editor: Home visiting programs are more essential than ever Daily Times | 10/21/20 Voluntary, evidence-based home visiting programs help parents and others raising children with the supports necessary to improve the health, safety, literacy, and economic self-sufficiency of the family. SOUTH CAROLINA Head Start’ program prepares children for grade school WLTX | 10/21/20 The free federal program serves children six weeks to five-years-old by helping with things like math, reading and writing in preparation for grade school. “We are the ones that build the branches and the trees to get them to where they need to be,” Chenise Williams, one of their teachers said. UTAH Data Shows More Than Half Of Utah Child Under Six-Years-Old Have A Need For Early Childhood Care KPCW | 10/21/20 There are almost 300,000 children under the age of six in Utah, and more than half of them have a need for early childcare while their parents work, but there are not enough facilities to meet the need. VIRGINIA Northam announces $65.8M to increase child care access, support providers NBC 12 | 10/21/20 Governor Ralph Northam announced $65.8 million in new funding on Wednesday to increase access to child care and support child care providers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. |
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