Affordable child care is increasingly difficult to find in the U.S.— and coronavirus could make it harder. (via CNBCMakeIt)
"Child care was already in a really precarious place before the pandemic happened," says, CAP's vice president of early childhood policy. "The vast majority of child-care programs in the U.S. are barely making ends meet," she adds, saying that most providers cannot go for more than a couple of weeks without revenue.
"For the most part, what a family can afford to pay determines the quality of their child's early learning experience," Hamm says. "I worry we go to a system where the only child care that exists is very expensive and only accessible to the highest income earners or people who can afford to have someone come into their home."
"You can't run a child-care center at 30%," says CEO Chad Dunkley, adding that most centers need to be at about 65% to 75% to break even. "We do not anticipate going back to normal this year."New Horizon "had to take drastic measures right away," Dunkley says. "It was the most heartbreaking few days of my career." Corporate support staff was cut by 75%, and 60% of its early educators were furloughed.
At some locations, the company has purchased disinfectant sprayers for a playground. One group of kids goes out to play, then staff spray the playground with disinfectant, as well as wiping down by hand any railings and places where it's more common for kids to touch. "We're really at a tough place," Fraga says. "There are a lot of unknowns on the horizon. So it's important that the U.S. really pay attention to what it's going on and be willing to invest and support child-care providers. It's not just about the safety and development of children," Fraga says, "it's an economic equation, too.
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