The Childcare Challenge…
IT SEEMED LIKE SUCH a good idea at the time. Let’s start a family! We’ve been together for a few years now. We’re emotionally and financially stable. It’s time to have a kid… or two!
Fast forward nine months and the little bundle of joy is the apple of everyone’s eye. Taking advantage of some parental leave, both mom and dad begin the journey of forming the bonds that will last a lifetime.
But, at some point, mom and dad have to go back to work, and that’s when the childcare challenge begins. And just like every other business that relies on a qualified staff… the childcare industry is struggling to keep up. But people keep having babies!
Deb Dupras, Program Director at 4C of the Upper Peninsula, says the biggest issue is the lack of people making themselves available to provide the care parents want for their children.
Dupras says childcare providers need to be respected and paid commensurate with the importance of their work. “We need to recognize the essential job that providers are doing in our community, and the benefits of having childcare options.”
Higher pay for providers, the people who are helping raise your kids? Who could argue with that? There’s only one problem. Increase the pay to providers and your childcare costs, already pushing your budget, go even higher.
At some point, if your job isn’t paying you much more than your childcare costs, it makes more sense to stay home and raise your own kid. That may be one reason so many service driven businesses are having a hard time finding workers.
A recent survey administered by a consortium of local agencies confirmed some of the things we already suspected…
- The lack of reliable childcare means that employers face troublesome employee absences and chronic problems with retention, with much of the burden falling on employees without kids.
- Parents cited availability and cost as the two main barriers to their return to the workforce. Many facilities have a wait-list of one to two years… so long that children age out before a spot opens up.
- Providers confirm that finding qualified staff is their number one priority.
So, to sum up the childcare challenge… if you can find it, can you afford it? Just about every licensed center in the area has a waiting list. Unfortunately, childcare isn’t something you can just put off, like that trip to Disneyworld. You need reliable childcare, now.
This is where we would usually share the good news about how things will be turning around, and your childcare problems will soon be behind you. But these are unusual times, and there’s no easy fix for this problem. If you can entice Grandma and Grandpa to forego Florida for a couple years, you may have found your best option.
Or, if you are one of those who has left the workforce to stay home with your young one(s), but still need income, you can always regain some of that by becoming a provider yourself.
If there is any good news, it’s that there are a number of people and agencies dedicated to finding workable solutions. Shilpa Jhobalia, Parent Liaison for Great Start Collaborative-Marquette cites the NMU Early Childhood Education Center Task Force as one example.
The task force wants the university to institute an Early Childhood Education Center, where Northern students can gain clinical experience and leadership skills by applying their training in a real-world setting. It would be a need-driven program, as, according to Jhobalia, “many people are forced to quit their jobs, relocate, or lean on extended family members, such as grandparents, for more than they are comfortable helping with.” A sustainable program at Northern could serve as an incubator for new childcare programs countywide.
Okay, so there’s work being done to address availability, but what about affordability? Well, there’s this… the Michigan Women’s Commission’s new MI Tri-Share Child Care Pilot Program for the Upper Peninsula. Through this program, the cost of childcare is shared equally by an eligible employee, their employer, and the State of Michigan. So, employers who are losing staff due to childcare issues, now have a tangible way to help keep their workers… on the job.
There’s no singular solution to the problem, but rather a number of different efforts, coming from all directions. Young mothers and fathers can become home providers. Northern could re-start their Early Childhood Education curriculum with an Associate’s Degree program. And the county could earmark a bigger chunk of their ARPA funds… more than the $100,000 initially designated, to help local families. A group called We the People spoke out for this at a recent Marquette County Commissioners’ meeting.
Lots of ‘cans’ and ‘coulds’ for how to address the childcare problem. Unfortunately, those don’t help young families that need it now.
For more information about how to find childcare, or become a childcare provider, visit greatstarttoquality.org.
In Other Words…
The former Washington Shoe Store next to Doncker’s has been remodeled and reopened as the Evergreen Market. Connected to the Doncker’s/Delft Bistro complex, the new store has the ambience and inventory to catch the eye of visitors and residents alike. They say “a rising tide lifts all ships.” Well, Marquette’s rising tide is the result of good businesspeople, with a commitment to the community, opening stores that make the whole town look better. The Evergreen Market is a great example.
And just up the hill, the Landmark Inn has joined the “outdoor service” crowd with the opening of their cozy patio, tucked in just off the hotel’s front steps. It’s just the kind of place that people like to “discover” on their visit to the area. Like a lot of our successful bars and restaurants, the Landmark Inn has gotten creative with its space, both indoor and out.
And finally, we’ve heard that the Econo Lodge, just south of the prison, has been sold. Folks who’ve been around a while will remember the place more for its popular restaurant with the great view… the Garden Room. Though the Garden Room has been closed for many years, it would be nice to see the new owners give it another shot. And yeah, I know… that’s a lot easier said than done.