ATLANTA — An all-new survey shows the continued struggle when it comes to childcare in Georgia.
According to data released by Quality Care for Children (QCC), staffing shortages and the end of federal Covid-19 funding could mean more difficult decisions in the months ahead for centers, with the impact trickling down to families.
Marquita Stanfield is among the parents who've dealt with extended waitlists following the pandemic. But she's been thrilled with her son's development since he started at Whitefoord Early Learning Academy.
"The best thing that I like about Whitefoord is that I'm getting it at an affordable price but also getting high quality," Stanfield said. "Honestly, he comes home and he's learned so much."
Still, she said she sympathizes with other parents still searching for placements, and this year's 2024 Provider Pulse Check report from QCC indicates challenges continue, particularly as federal stabilization funds sunset at the end of June.
The report surveyed nearly 600 child care providers representing 111 of Georgia’s counties. Among the highlights, the following percentage of providers report:
- they will have to increase tuition or fees (65%)
- teacher wages may be impacted as they may have to decrease staff hours, stop offering the same benefits, and more (26%)
- they will serve fewer children in the classroom (16%)
- they may have to close their child care program (12%)
In addition, more than 60% of providers indicated they have a waitlist that continues to grow. Michelle Jackson, director of early learning at Whitefoord, is among those juggling how to open more classrooms and get more families off waitlists while still keeping class sizes small ratios as well as cost affordable for her families, more than 60% of which are on scholarships. The key to expanding access is more teachers, yet finding staff is also one of the biggest barriers.
"You want to get those teachers in here that want to be here, right?" Jackson said. "That's the important piece. They want to be here. This is their passion. But then rightfully so, they want to be paid for it," she added. "They want to be able to have a livable wage, and we want to be able to support them in that, but it's a struggle."
As more childcare teachers and staff leave the field for higher paying industries, federal stabilization funding helped providers close some of those gaps and retain staff. But as those funds expire, centers like Whitefoord are coming up with creative solutions to fundraise and work with community partners in order to figure out how to offset their budgets and retain staff.
"We understand the need in the community," Jackson said. "We understand the importance because we see it, we hear it through our parents' surveys and through the length of our waitlist. And so, for us, it's been extremely important to continue to try to fundraise, really go out and partner with quality organizations that really can help support us and our needs."
Such solutions are critical without other investments on the horizon, shared Ellyn Cochran, the Quality Care for Children’s president and CEO.
“Georgia’s child care providers are problem-solvers and champions of young children, and for decades have provided safe, loving, and engaging environments that enable children to thrive and their families to work outside the home,” she said. “When other businesses shut down during the pandemic, our childcare professionals kept showing up. They have proven to be resilient during difficult times but can’t continue to keep a broken child care system running at the expense of their livelihood and must make hard decisions such as raising rates or closing classrooms.”
Meanwhile, affordable, quality childcare remains essential for working parents like Stanfield.
"You're trying to provide for your child and your family," she said. "So, it's important to have this kind of support of childcare."
Need help finding childcare?
Quality Care for Children, along with Georgia's Department of Early Care and Learning's call center, provides referrals to parents seeking Georgia child care, afterschool programs, Georgia Pre-K, Early/Head Start and summer camps. Services offered are free and state-wide. Families can call: 877-ALL-GA-KIDS (1-877-255-4254) or send inquiries via message here. SEARCH ONLINE: QUALITYRATED.ORG.
1-877-ALL-GA-KIDS is funded by The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) through the federal Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) grant.
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