KANSAS CITY, Mo. — From restaurants to retail, across the United States of America, parents make up a third of the workforce.
“When we hear about reopening the economy and getting things recovered [from the COVID-19 pandemic], we cannot even begin to think about that without addressing child care,” said Casey Hanson, the director of outreach and engagement for Kids Win Missouri, an advocacy group dedicated to the well-being of children in the state.
The organization released a report this week detailing how COVID-19 has flipped child care upside down.
It claims 82 percent of Missouri’s counties are now day care deserts, up from roughly 54 percent before the pandemic. A day care desert means there are three or more kids for every one day care opening; leaving parents with fewer options.
Hanson said many day care providers lost their locations because they operated out of school buildings which are now closed.
Others have had to hire extra staff to maintain smaller group sizes and to ensure one staff member stays with the same group at all times. Many day care centers are paying staff overtime as they come in early and stay late to sanitize. Disinfectant supplies and personal protective equipment have become an extra financial burden for day care providers.
The U.S. Congress sent $3.5 billion to day care centers in a COVID-19 relief package, but Hanson says they need more. She worries day care operators may spend more time on health and safety and less on the quality of the day care.
“It’s so necessary to make a substantial commitment and investment to help so that providers don’t have to make those types of choices or be put in a position where they’re backed into a corner,” she said.
The solution, according to Hanson and Kids Win Missouri, is a $50 billion package for day care centers which Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) introduced called “Child Care is Essential Act.”
Right now the bill is in a committee, so Hanson is asking people to call, email or message elected leaders encouraging them to support the bill. She said it will stabilize child care, allowing workers to go back to their jobs and get the economy on track.
“My goal for everybody is to thrive and not just have to survive,” Stephanie Parris explained.
As the founder of Guardian Accounting Services, Parris has hosted virtual conversations every Saturday from March to June through the Mid-Continent Public Library’s Square One Small Business Services program.
In many conversations, Parris focused on helping day care operators find and apply for grants.
The $3.5 billion Congress already approved is going to day cares in the form of grants. The same would be true for the $50 billion if Congress approves it.
Parris developed a “Rebound Rundown” to help day cares get funding today and in the future:
- Have a mission statement.
- Be ready to act fast.
- Search for new grants every week through the government, foundations, corporations, non-profits and beyond.
- Translate legalese out of applications.
- Keep track of your bookkeeping and financial documents.
“We’re trying to make it more digestible and user-friendly,” she explained.
Parris and Square One are planning a virtual seminar to connect people with organizations designed to help small businesses. The seminar will be free and open to anyone. It will most likely take place in August, but you can visit the library website to check for updates.
In the meantime, Square One will host a virtual class called Tax Prep for Childcare Businesses on Monday, July 13 at 11:30 a.m. Click here for information about the class.
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