Alabama child care facilities have an opportunity to get one last round of grants from a pot of federal money.
Once that money runs out, advocates say, they expect the state’s child care crisis to get even worse. They say they need long term investments to sustain the rapidly declining industry.
“These grants have helped us keep our employees. Helped us when things breakdown, maintenance, upkeep, staff bonuses, employee insurance, liability insurance, making sure our classrooms have quality materials,” Tejuania Nelson, director of education with Lighthouse Academy of Excellence and Achievement, said.
“But this feels like a Band-Aid...What’s going to be the long term solution? What about making long term investments in child care?”
The Alabama Department of Human Resources currently is accepting applications for Child Care Stability grants, which can be used for employee bonuses, facility maintenance, classroom materials, cleaning supplies and meals. Funds can also be used to offer tuition relief to families.
Child care workers, experts weigh in
Nelson has worked in child care since she was a teenager. She wonders how the industry will sustain itself after the small grants, which many centers have relied upon, end.
“A lot of centers are going to have to start making some hard decisions. There are centers losing staff. I can’t bring in new staff,” Nelson said.
Without long term investments, she believes the child care industry will continue to crumble, affecting not only workers, but also parents and other industries.
“I think you’re going to see more child care facilities closing down, and then there’ll be more children at home without care… I’ve talked to parents that can’t work because they can’t find child care right now,” Nelson said.
Susan Sellers, CEO of United Ability, primarily works with children with disabilities.
Sellers said she has seen child care workers leave the industry because they were not being paid a livable wage.
“Why work in child care when you could work in fast food for better pay? Our staff need those extra dollars to survive,” Sellers said. “The bonuses kept people from leaving the child care industry and going into other fields altogether.”
“The child care industry and education are both struggling right now to keep people in the field because it is not an easy job. You’re handling a family’s most precious gifts…Sometimes it doesn’t pay what it’s worth and they’re left trying to keep their heads above water,” Kim Braasch, director of Hand in Hand Early Learning Program with United Ability.
Camille Bennett, founder and executive director of Project Say Something and three child care centers in North Alabama, Focus Scope, works with centers who primarily serve low income families.
“We’re extremely grateful for this opportunity because it does give us that opportunity to continue bonuses for our staff,” Bennett said.
Now, child care centers will have to find new ways to fill the gaps.
“Even though we’re grateful, it’s also terrifying because we don’t know where the money is coming from for next year,” Bennett said. “It’s going to leave major gaps in teacher pay…We need this investment to stabilize the industry so every single year we know we can get something for our teachers.”
She is advocating for a state line item in the Education Trust Fund to stabilize the child care industry.
Bennett said increased funding could decrease turnover among child care workers and increase the quality and availability of centers.
How to apply for last round of grants
Award amounts will be determined based on the total number of children served by the facility or home, the number of qualifying applicants and the availability of funds.
To qualify for the grant, child care providers must be licensed and operating in good standing with the Department of Human Resources at the time they apply and receive a grant. Providers must also remain in operation for at least one year after a grant is awarded.
Grant applications and other important information will be available on the Alabama Department of Human Resources website.
Stories by Alaina Bookman