In a just world, parents have ample support to care for themselves and their children. But the truth is that Georgia policymakers can realize such a foundational blueprint for community care only when they diligently transform the child care system. The system, as it currently stands, is not sustainable. We need robust, long-term funding for early childhood education that yields favorable outcomes for both the state and its families.
An economic analysis published by the Georgia Department of Audits and Accounts finds that the state would see a return on investment for every dollar invested in Georgia’s Childcare and Parent Servicesprogram. The CAPS program helps eligible families with the financial costs of child care, thereby freeing parents to attend work, school or training programs. Increasing enrollment in the state subsidy program and provider payment rates through the program would help the state economy. The Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students recently released a report showing how child care challenges led to significant economic activity and tax revenue losses.
Child care workers are the glue that binds our communities. They provide essential care for children while their parents work, enabling families to thrive and stimulate the economy. Most important, these workers are vital to the development of children during the earliest, most vulnerable years of their lives. How we interact with children age 5 and under significantly influences their social, cognitive, emotional and physical growth. Investing in the workers who care for them is crucial. This honors families and supports children’s academic future.
Yet child care workers aren’t paid nearly enough. They need a livable wage, competitive benefits and training that supports their growth and development.
They also deserve the praise that any other profession enjoys. Their work requires physical and emotional labor, continuous training or postsecondary education. But the median pay for child care workers is only $11.65 per hour, according to the Center for the Study of Childcare Development. Many are overworked and underpaid. In Georgia, Black child care teachers disproportionately earn lower wages.
Meanwhile, child care costs often outpace housing costs. It hits even harder for families of color, as the costs take up a greater share of their income compared with white families, according to the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute. Georgia parents are forced to make hard choices that disrupt their employment, a GEEARS report shows.
Child care can straina family’s finances, and it also can affect their mental health. In a recent Care.com report, parents lamented the challenges of child care costs. They note health issues, including self-harm and suicide. This report is an unfortunate warning shot, urging elected leaders to reconsider how working people are faring.
At 9to5, we advocate for long-term funding for a mixed-delivery child care system, which includes child care centers, home-based centers, centers that offer nontraditional hours, and funding for family and friends who help fill the licensed child care gap. Georgia currently doesn’t include family, friends and neighbor care in the state’s subsidy program.
Some people have suggested that grandparents or other family members should step in to help as a cost-saving solution, but this care should not be reduced to unpaid or underpaid labor. Good child care from birth to 5 years old is crucial, regardless of who provides the care. That work requires skill and knowledge. Child care providers need support to strengthen those skills and better relate to and engage with children and their parents. For example, they need to further their training to understand safety, discipline, special needs, nutrition and social needs. Georgia’s existing CAPS program should be significantly funded to adequately reimburse providers to reflect the true cost of skilled workers providing high-quality care.
The lack of regard for transforming our child care system is rooted in racial and gender discrimination. The treatment of child care workers – low pay and overworked – is a direct effect of centuries-long white supremacist attitudes embedded in our economic system. Slavery, restrictive immigration policies, racial segregation and sexism have been the mechanisms that undercut job opportunities for women of color. Since the beginning of colonization in the United States, women of color were privy to only a few jobs outside the home. From nursing babies to cooking families’ meals, women of color weren’t fairly compensated for their labor. They were essential jobs that kept the economy strong and ensured that families were prosperous and healthy. But that applied only to white families. Generally, race and gender segregation in the workforce continues today. We must confront and address pay inequity.
With Georgia’s $16.5 billion in budget reserves, we have more than enough resources to fund child care — and an opportunity to undo the harm families and communities have experienced. We know that Georgia officials are willing to engage with organizations to improve families’ lives. Now is the time for Georgia leaders to take the next step and make significant long-term investments in early childhood education. Our lives and our economy depend on it.
Credit: Erin Clark/contributed
Credit: Erin Clark/contributed
Erin Clark is a child care organizer with 9to5 and is based in Georgia. 9to5 advocates for fair workplaces that include just wages, better work-family policies, and safe and stable environments free of harassment via policy change.
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