The business of child care has operated in a strained market for years — low wages for workers and high costs for parents.
Now, the pandemic is showing just how vital and fragile our child care system is.
Early in the pandemic, providers were hit hard by big changes in employment. Furloughs and remote work led many families to pull children out of care, along with their dollars. The financial strain on child care providers is far from over. Home day cares continue to close. Centers are having trouble paying enough to keep workers.
A lack of reliable and affordable care limits what jobs people can take and may be holding back the recovery of the entire economy.
The social policy bill being pushed by President Joe Biden would provide unprecedented public dollars to support child care. But, there’s also concern about who would administer the funds and who would get the money.
Tuesday at 9 a.m. host Angela Davis will check in on the business and future of child care with providers and a consultant who works with child care entrepreneurs.
And we want to hear from you: Are you a child care provider or did you recently leave a job in child care? How has the pandemic impacted you? If you’re a parent, has the way you use child care changed in the pandemic? Can you find care? Is it affordable? Call us at 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828 during the 9 a.m. hour or tweet @AngelaDavisMPR.
Guests:
Suzanne Pearl is Minnesota director of First Children’s Finance, a nonprofit organization that provides loans and development assistance to child care businesses.
Cynthia Cunningham is a family child care provider in St. Paul.
Chad Dunkley is CEO of New Horizon Academy, a private child care business with over 90 locations in Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa and Idaho. He’s also president of the Minnesota Childcare Association, a group that represents child care centers in the state.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.