×

Funding issues shut 11 area child care centers

As of Monday, 11 child care providers in Chautauqua County have closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now more than ever, centers face urgent needs for funding in order to remain open to serve the county's essential workforce. File Photo.

MAYVILLE — As of Monday, nearly one third of Chautauqua County’s available child care slots are vacant, which Sue Marker, director of the Chautauqua Child Care Council, says is concerning for all. “All of our child care centers and in-home providers are normally at full capacity because this county is a child care desert,” said Marker. “With them having fewer slots filled, how do they pay their staff or pay themselves, when they’re down to just one or two enrolled children?”

A matter of even greater concern is whether or not closed child care facilities will be able to reopen once the PAUSE order is lifted and all parents are returning to work. “Without financial support from the state or federal government, we’re going to lose them,” Marker said. “We are concerned that some of these that will close or have closed won’t open back up again.”

The issue is a challenging one, as child care is considered an “essential service” under Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “New York State on PAUSE” executive order. Furthermore, the families that child care presently serves are those whose work is essential to health care operations, infrastructure, retail, manufacturing and more.

“Families and child care providers need more support,” said Beth Starks, executive director of the Chautauqua Lake Child Care Center. “Even though we’re way lower in numbers, we have to have extra staff for smaller groups of children and to clean. Our income has gone down, but our costs have increased. The governor has recognized the need for child care, and any additional funding we receive could help us meet the needs of our current workforce.”

According to the council’s resource and referral specialist Erika Hines, four of Chautauqua County’s 20 child care centers have closed, and seven out of the county’s 49 at-home (family and group family) providers have closed in the past month. “None have closed down because of cases of COVID-19,” Marker pointed out. “They’ve closed due to financial circumstances or for precautionary measures.”

Even before the onset of COVID-19, Marker and Starks said child care providers faced payroll challenges. “Child care providers don’t make much more than above the poverty line,” said Marker. “They’re only getting paid $140 to $220 per child per week for full-time care. When you lose a child or two, you’re losing $200 a week. It really has a huge impact on these providers.”

At most centers, including Starks’, staff have bachelor’s and master’s degrees. “I would love to be able to pay them as much as they could make in a public school system,” Starks told the OBSERVER. “But I can’t expect our families to take on that expense.” She pointed out that for an eight-hour day at the state’s minimum wage rate, one would pay over $80 a day for child care or $400-plus per week. However, the weekly market rate for child care centers for children ages one to five ranged from $195 to $206 in 2019– figures that are derived from the average cost of child care reported by 38 counties that comprise group three of New York’s five social services districts.

Now, many centers face uncertain futures. “Some centers are worried about the staff that they’ve laid off seeking other employment and not returning,” said Marker. “Also, parents whose regular centers have closed and have had to enroll their children elsewhere may decide not to go back to their former provider once they reopen.”

“We have to fight to stay open and to do it safely,” said Starks. “For our providers in the county, their overhead costs haven’t really changed since COVID-19. Perhaps some of their personnel costs have been reduced a tiny bit, but not by much. We need to think about the rebuild efforts on the other side of this…If we want people to slowly go back to work, we need child care even more then. That’s the reality. There are a lot of centers that are really close to closing and never reopening their doors. If we lose even a few, it’s scary.”

Marker, Starks and other child care providers throughout the county are advocating for more support. “We’re really grateful for the guidance we’ve been receiving from Gov. Cuomo and the Office of Children and Family Services,” said Starks. “At this time, we just really need more funding as soon as possible.”

To that end, the Chautauqua County Child Care Council has drafted a letter to be sent to state and federal officials to request more help and signed by area child care providers. The letter expresses gratitude for approved financial relief included in the Economic Security Act and the CARES act but urges for immediate action.

“In being deemed essential, child care providers need your help to come through with funding approved through the CARES Act as we are struggling and need help now,” the letter states. “At this time, we are therefore asking that the federal government provide the funding approved by the CARES Act to New York state, so Gov. Cuomo can provide the relief to our families and child care providers of Chautauqua County today.”

The letter includes stories from child care providers in the county about how they have been adversely affected by the crisis and what their needs are.

Marker and Starks said that, while New York is not covering the cost of child care for essential workers as in other states, the government has waived many income requirements for financial assistance. Previous guidelines were based on 200% of the federal poverty level, but now in the county, 85% of the median wage is the standard. “For a family of four, 200% of the poverty level is $51,500,” Marker explained. “Anyone making less than that could apply for subsidies. Now under the new guidelines, that income cap is $81,549 for a family of four. That is a huge difference.”

Marker said that these expanded guidelines are for all working families, not just those whose jobs are deemed essential. “I want parents to know that because there are some work places that are offering an increase in salary or hours right now, and that increase may have affected their eligibility before. Now, families can accept that increase in pay without worrying about their eligibility for financial assistance.”

Marker urges families who need child care to contact Hines at 1-800-424-4532. “Once parents call that number, we go over some details, collect their information and find a list of providers that best fits their schedule and has openings,” Hines explained.

Starks emphasized the importance of serving the county’s essential work force and the urgent need for financial assistance at both the state and federal levels for child care centers to remain open. “It’s very much a bipartisan issue,” she told the OBSERVER. “We have to all come together and support children and families. In so doing, we will support economic infrastructure and the future of our county. If we aren’t making decisions based on what’s best for our youngest citizens, then we’re doing a disservice to our entire population.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $4.62/week.

Subscribe Today