Child care providers say American Rescue Plan Act is providing light at the end of the tunnel
MARYLAND – Early education and child care providers, and local leaders say the COVID-19 pandemic has put not only emotional stress on providers and families. It’s also been a financial battle to stay open. U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen says Maryland could lose over 78,000 licensed child care slots over the course of the pandemic. “It will not only mean greater hardship to families with children and to those who provide care, but also to our overall economy,” said Sen. Van Hollen.
Sen. Van Hollen says making sure those providers get support is extremely important because the first years of a child’s life are where their foundation to be happy, healthy, and successful begins. “By providing quality early education and child care, we free families from the bind of having to juggle a full time job with being a full time parent,” said Sen. Van Hollen.
Executive Director of non profit Critchlow Adkins Children’s Centers Cristy Morrell says families are relying on them now more than ever. “We raised money to kind of help people out with tuition assistance. We do accept state child scholarships, but then we step in to help when this is an issue for families,” said Morrell.
Morrell says those families are now having to rely on full day child care instead of before and after school. She says that’s been a stretch for them, because nobody saw a global pandemic coming as they prepared their budgets for 2020. Morrell says for that reason, the organization has been covering some tuition costs for families. “We have had families that either lost their jobs or their hours have been so reduced that they just can’t afford care. We basically have said we’re not letting you go,” said Morrell.
Plus, Morrell says child care providers in her organization had to get creative fast to make sure kids could have a safe and fulfilling learning environment amid the pandemic. Morrell says the organization has had to raise tens of thousands of dollars to cover extra costs like PPE, cleaning equipment, and extra supplies to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. “Little kids learn through play and social interaction. How do you create an environment that is conducive to that and still be socially distanced?” said Morrell.
Beyond the pandemic and any emergency funding, Morrell says she hopes to see the federal minimum wage raised. She says even without COVID-19, child care providers and teachers are underpaid and can struggle to make a living wage. Before that, Morrell says funding for child care through the American Rescue Plan Act is providing a light at the end of the tunnel. “I am hoping that this Rescue Plan allows us as child care providers to not just survive, but to start paying our child care teachers what they deserve,” said Morrell.
