Childcare is essential for our children, our families, our workforce, and our entire community. Simply put, the youngest, most vulnerable members of our communities deserve our time, attention, and investment.
The data is clear. We have a childcare crisis that needs to be addressed. That is why Green County Development Corporation and United Way of Green County, in partnership with many other community agencies, have developed a comprehensive, systematic plan to address access, affordability, and quality of childcare throughout Green County.
We’ve got a plan for that!
We’re not suggesting that any of these measures is a “silver bullet” to solve our childcare crisis. We’re also very open to additional ideas and funding opportunities. We have found it truly takes a county-wide effort to raise up our childcare industry.
Here are our plans. Some are funded through grants and donations, other still need funding:
Assist providers to start and strengthen their businesses
We know we need additional providers to meet the childcare needs of our communities. Childcare Business Boot Camp began March 2 with 16 participants. Boot Camp is beneficial for entrepreneurs who want to start a childcare business, as well as existing childcare providers who want to improve their businesses.
Attract new people to the profession
For those who have a passion for working with children and are looking for a rewarding career, we will be offering a Safety Saturday workshop on May 1. Safety Saturday will provide the education needed for a person to work in a childcare facility. Training will include: First Aid, Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation Training (CPR), Training on Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect, Training on Preventing Abusive Head Trauma, and a review of licensing rules and regulations and next steps for working in the childcare industry.
Provide tuition assistance to targeted populations
The average cost for childcare in Green County is $14,088 per year. With a median household income of $63,160 in Green County, childcare accounts for 22.3% of an average family’s income. This is not affordable for many people and reduces access for many children and families. We have applied for grants and other funding sources to make childcare more affordable for working families.
Ensure that we have enough consistent and highly trained childcare providers
The average pay for a childcare professional in Wisconsin is $10-$13 per hour. This holds true in Green County as well. As you can imagine, Green County childcare centers are experiencing difficulty hiring and retaining high quality staff and are seeing a high turnover rate. We have developed a plan for funding bonuses and incentive pay for those in the field, and are now looking for funding sources.
Increase family engagement
Free, monthly workshops for parents will provide opportunities to collaborate, build relationships, and strengthen skills. Research has shown that children are best served when childcare providers and families work together with consistent messages for the children. Workshops will provide tools to help families ensure the social and emotional well-being of their children. These workshops have been funded and will be starting soon.
Establish a mentorship program for professionals newer to the industry
The mentorship program will match experienced providers with those who could use a little help or advice. The goal of the mentorship program is to reduce the turnover rate of childcare providers, increase support for new providers, and strengthen the services provided by creating a network of shared best practices.
Help providers improve their YoungStar ratings
YoungStar is Wisconsin’s childcare quality rating and improvement system. YoungStar measures childcare quality and rates childcare providers, awarding up to five stars for the best quality of care. This gives parents a way to compare their childcare options. In Green County, only half of our providers participate in the YoungStar system, and of those that are rated, only 26% have a 3-5-star rating, which is considered to be high quality. We have developed a plan for funding incentives for participating in YoungStar and for increasing ratings, and are now looking for funding sources.
Provide professional development for childcare providers
High quality experiences during a child’s first three years have lasting impacts throughout his/her life, and we want to ensure our childcare providers have access to the tools and training necessary to provide high quality, enriching experiences for our kids. Free, monthly professional development opportunities will be available for all providers in Green County.
Provide one-on-one Early Childhood Mental Health Consultation
Emotional and behavioral regulation in young children is critical to healthy mental development. Research suggests this skill is built through positive adult—child interactions. Early positive experiences support the creation of circuits in the brain that are responsible for generating emotions and behavioral responses. This initiative will pair highly trained professionals with childcare providers to help meet the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of the children served.
Childcare is a complex, critically important issue. While we have a strong plan and have many things in place, we still have more to do! If you would like more information, or if you would like to help support the childcare initiative for our communities, contact Teresa Keehn at United Way of Green County at (608) 325-7747 or unitedway@pecbell.com.
— Cara Carper is executive director at Green County Development Corporation. She can be reached at cara.gcdc@tds.net.
