State must maintain, not cut, funding for child care
By Tim Vo / For The Herald
I’m a full-time provider at a licensed child care center. I love my child care career, and I work two jobs to help make ends meet. Each day, I get to nurture and teach kids as they develop, and support families who want to know their child is in a safe, caring, enriching place while they are at work.
But the job doesn’t cover my bills, and providers all over the state are in the same situation. I hate having to see quality providers leave the field because the job doesn’t pay enough. Some will return, because their heart is in it, however, they struggle with the wage that they earn.
We’re in a bind; parents can’t afford to pay more, so providers can’t afford to raise wages and provide benefits, which leads to a child care workforce shortage, which then means parents can’t find care, so they can’t go to work. It’s a problem for all of us: providers, child care businesses, parents and employers.
Child care workers are stretching their own dollars thin, working extra jobs like me, or relying on state support themselves because they care about the career and the children. This stress could affect delivering quality care, because the provider may feel drained, and not paid enough for the work that they do.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-state-must-increase-not-cut-funding-for-child-care/