Madeleine Bayard is the senior vice president of Rodel and leads policy, programmatic, government affairs and communications initiatives.
As three prominent state leaders wrote recently: “If we are going to build the workforce of tomorrow, we must pass policies that better support workers and their families today.”
Sens. Kyle Evans Gay, D-Talleyville, and Sarah McBride, D-Wilmington, and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long were among the lawmakers who helped champion recent policies like paid family and medical leave for thousands of working Delawareans and investments in early-childhood education.
“As we continue our transition into a post-pandemic economy, it has perhaps never been clearer that the strength of our state depends on the health and welfare of our workforce,” they wrote. “Delaware made substantial investments in working families over the last two years, particularly the young families whose skills and talents will help us to attract major employers in the decades ahead.”
We should celebrate that progress — and keep going.
The reality for Delaware parents seeking care remains bleak in many parts of the state. Only 1 in 7 children under age 5 are covered by state funding, which goes to child care programs through the Purchase of Care Child Care Subsidy Program and to school districts for special education. As providers have said for years, state funding covers only a fraction of their costs to provide high-quality care.
Parents are already expected to pay around 20% of a median family income per child for child care — more than some college tuitions. Even before the pandemic, Delaware parents reported that the cost of child care prevents them from taking jobs, getting training and buying houses. Last year, 1 in 3 job seekers turned down jobs because they could not find affordable child care. And the proprietors and educators running the centers aren’t faring much better. Ninety-six percent of Delaware child care centers reported workforce shortages in the last year.
Delaware’s crisis even hit the national airwaves this fall, with an article from The Hechinger Report featuring two local providers.
As Hechinger explains, nearly 90,000 people left the child care industry between February 2020 and August 2022, with another 2,000 leaving between August and September this year, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The reason? Providers can only afford to pay workers around minimum wage, with limited benefits.
“We can’t compete with McDonalds offering $15 to $17 an hour to start out,” Toni Dickerson, a resource and referral administrator for Sussex Preschools, told Hechinger. “Pre-Covid we were more worried about getting qualified staff. Now, we’re just trying to get staff.”
Sean Toner of Beach Babies Child Care, which runs four centers across Delaware, told reporter Jackie Mader the waitlist for a spot at one of his centers has ballooned to 1,500 kids. “It was never like this,” he said. “There’s not enough child care in this area to serve the need.”
Advocates are calling for increased state investments to help providers pay their workers and cover the cost of care, statewide and for more families.
The budget ask for next year’s state budget (July 2023-June 2024) is $40 million in state support for purchase of care (subsidized child care provided to families who qualify through the Department of Health and Social Services). This would:
Again, Delaware has made some progress. Last session, the Delaware Department of Education committed to invest in the workforce through bonuses and legislation. Advocates hope to see more of that in the coming year, along with expanded funding for programs serving special needs children.
As the three state lawmakers wrote, “Change will only come when we, as elected leaders, set out a bold vision and prioritize families. We’re committed to this work and to making Delaware the best place to raise kids.”
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