POTENTIAL SOLUTIONS TO REGIONAL CHALLENGES AROUND ACCESS TO CHILDCARE
Potential solutions to childcare challenges emerged throughout each phase of this study— planning, focus groups, and the stakeholder survey. Along the way, the feasibility of each solution was“ pressure tested” by stakeholders, with a particular emphasis on a) perceived demand for the potential solution and b) expected effectiveness( i. e., positive impact) of the potential solution. A summary of this“ pressure testing” is presented below, with potential solutions deemed“ High Demand” and“ High Impact”( i. e., those in the top right quadrant) garnering the greatest support from stakeholders.
PERCEIVED DEMAND
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LOW At or Below 60 % of Respondents Rated as Large to Very Significant Demand |
HIGH Greater than 60 % of Respondents Rated as Large to Very Significant Demand
Workplace learning opportunities( e. g., EARN Indiana)( 69 %, 78 %) Experiential learning opportunities at Prosser Career Education Center or other sites( 65 %, 75 %) Promoting the value of credentialed employees for childcare centers and employers in the region( e. g., boosting Paths to Quality ratings)( 68 %, 65 %) Marketing strategy around the professionalism and growth opportunity associated with starting a career in early childcare( 68 %, 64 %) Advocacy for adequate compensation( pay, benefits) for childcare providers through participation with local workforce boards and businesses( e. g., group insurance package offerings, political backing)( 81 %, 84 %)
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EXPECTED IMPACT |
HIGH Greater than 60 % of Respondents Rated as Large to Very Significant Positive Impact
LOW At or Below 60 % of Respondents Rated as Large to Very Significant Positive Impact
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• Creation or promotion of scholarship programs( 58 %, 67 %)
• Development of apprenticeship models( 50 %, 65 %)
• Training or other resources offered through Building Blocks( 55 %, 66 %)
• Removal of barriers to credentialing through non-traditional offerings such as cohort learning experiences( 56 %, 69 %)
• Purchasing co-op model wherein employers come together to cooperatively fund operational costs and overhead expenses( 51 %, 68 %)
• Small business accelerator / incubator for new and existing childcare providers offering business model templates, lending specifically for small businesses, etc.( 59 %, 70 %)
• Promotion of credentials already offered in the region( 38 %, 50 %)
• Promotion of a childcare franchise model( e. g., Bright Horizons)( 55 %, 60 %)
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* The demand and impact for each solution are presented as( Demand, Impact) where percentages reflect responses of“ Large” or“ Very Significant.”
As shown above, stakeholders tended to favor solutions involving experiential / workplace learning opportunities for new providers and marketing / promotion of the value of credentialing for providers themselves, families, and regional employers. The most favored solution, however, involved advocacy for adequate compensation for childcare providers. Indeed, when stakeholders described their reservations around other potential solutions, the most common sentiment was that the solution( s) in question did not address provider compensation:
“ Honestly, I don ' t think anyone is going to continue their education in ECE without a significant overall raise in wages and accessibility to benefits. The secondary and postsecondary options are there, but the investment in education by an individual does not pay off in the hourly wage or salary, compared the nature of a highly skilled teacher utilizing the post-secondary education oral and written communication skills needed to deliver high-quality care.”
“ Until the state / federal government subsidizes wages for childcare workers so they can make a living wage and makes it more affordable for parents to pay for childcare, marketing will only go so far.”
“ Professionalism means ECE staff with postsecondary degrees should be paid like K-12 educators. Many of us have B. S. Eds or master’ s degrees, but we cannot charge the same rates to families that community taxes generate to employ public school teachers. At our part-time NAEYC accredited program we have a high degree of staff education and are highly professional, but we are still seen as babysitters or ' day care '.”
A complete list of verbatim comments is available in the supplemental survey report provided to Ivy Tech Sellersburg and One Southern Indiana Chamber and Economic Development.