On Monday, August 24, we published Part I of this series: What is ECE and Why Should We Invest in it. Read Part I.
High quality Early Care and Education (ECE) programs create safe, stable, nurturing environments, proven to prevent child maltreatment. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend investing in quality child care as a key strategy to prevent child maltreatment in their Essentials for Childhood technical assistance package.
Quality, affordable ECE programs allow parents to focus on work to provide for their family. Young children receive two meals and a snack each day. Many programs screen children for health and developmental concerns. Teachers observe children, using those observations to plan curriculum, support children’s needs and when necessary, make reports if they suspect maltreatment or neglect. Families are recognized as partners in their children’s care and parents are listened to and respected. High quality programs promote child health and safety by understanding the challenges their families are facing, connecting them to local resources or assisting them in creating and maintaining healthy environments for their children. Most importantly, ECE teachers are a trusted, knowledgeable source of information about the stages of child development and expectations for children’s behavior for many parents.
Unfortunately, the ECE system was broken long before COVID-19 struck because the economics do not work. Parents cannot afford the real cost of care, causing wage suppression. Programs struggle to stay afloat. They are often one emergency away from closing. As a society, we are not investing in the ECE system the way we invest in subsidizing the public K-12 and university systems, yet the early childhood years build the foundation for future educational success.
More than 50 percent of the state’s highest quality rated ECE programs (4- and 5- stars) and 30 percent of all programs were closed at the end of June[1]. Those open were operating at less than full capacity; enrollment is down 67 percent nationally, and statewide, we are at 53 percent capacity. At the same time expenses are increasing, including 73 percent of programs spending more money on payroll to meet smaller group sizes as required. With razor-thin operating margins before COVID-19, this is fast approaching a disaster. Programs will not be able to survive, leaving families without care, striking a blow to our workforce and our economy.
Many working parents will be forced to make hard choices. In some families, older siblings will have to drop out of school to care for younger children, school age children will come home to empty homes or in too many cases, families will be forced to rely on unstable and unsafe situations where their children’s health and safety may be endangered.
We can prevent this. We know how to create quality, affordable child care. In fact, the U.S. military has been doing it for decades. If we recognize ECE as a necessity for working families and support it with federal, state and local dollars (as we do with our K-12 and public university systems), not only will children and families thrive, so will our economy.
This blog is also published by Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina. View the first and final parts of this blog series.
Prevent Child Abuse North Carolina (PCANC) is the leading statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect. Through collaboration with partners, PCANC ensures that prevention is a priority for North Carolina and all communities have the knowledge, support, and resources to prevent child abuse and neglect. PCANC is the North Carolina chapter of Prevent Child Abuse America.
[1] DCDEE, July 2020.
