Koos. “Families are paying more than they can afford to pay and people are saying if I’m paying so much then why can’t the childcare worker be paid more?” The problem is the ratio of staff to children in quality, licensed childcare settings can’t — and shouldn’t — be changed in order to ensure safety of the children in care. Those ratios often make it unfeasible for providers, based on their income, to pay staff a living wage. Very few childcare workers receive benefits packages, health insurance, vacation or sick leave.
where you want to hire anybody because you know what it’s like to be without a minimum of staff. But I will go without to find what I’m looking for.” Johnson is proactively searching career websites and scheduling interviews with potential candidates, some of whom don’t show up for interviews after all her work of vetting them. While the process has been frustrating at times, she says the time and energy are worth it to find the right employees. “I’ve found good, credible teachers and we’re continuing to hire until we get where we need to be,” said Johnson. “We have to put in the work and keep a positive mindset. Sometimes that’s a struggle — everyone knows this is not the best-paying field so you have to love what you do.” Childcare deserts Nationally, childcare deserts are defined as geographic areas where there are more than three children for every licensed childcare spot available. In Oklahoma, childcare availability varies drastically, especially comparing urban and suburban areas to rural areas. “If you look at the three counties in the Oklahoma panhandle combined, there are five children for every available licensed childcare slot,” said Koos. “You’re competing with four other people, which makes it difficult to find the facility, quality and location you want.” In the OKC metro, Koos reports there are about 1.65 children for every childcare spot. “Even if you have two people for every slot, that means someone doesn’t get care,” said Koos. The other significant issue in Oklahoma is a lack of facilities providing childcare outside traditional hours. Families who need childcare between 8 a.m and 5 p.m. have a much better chance of finding available, high-quality childcare in their desired location than a parent who works from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., overnight or swing shifts. Cost and pay In Oklahoma, the average annual cost of full-time childcare for an infant is $7,000, or $6,300 for a toddler between ages 3 and 5, according to Koos. “That’s a huge expense for a family,” said
3 Locations to Serve You! Edmond • OKC • Yukon
“The pandemic proved the childcare industry is vital to the economic success of Oklahoma.” Brittany Lee
“The only way childcare employees receive a living wage and childcare owners make a profit is there has to be some government support to childcare,” said Koos. “I know that parents can’t absorb any more costs and childcare facilities can’t afford to pay any more. As a society we have to decide if childcare is important enough [to fund].” While OKDHS does offer a childcare subsidy program based on income, Koos says many parents who qualify are unwilling to use the service because they don’t want to accept financial assistance from the government. On the flip side are families who make just a little too much to qualify for assistance, and the impact on their budgets can be devastating. “We call it the cliff effect,” said Koos. “You have a job and you’re working but you make $20 per pay period too much to get assistance. So there goes 50 percent of your paycheck [to childcare expenses].” Economic repercussions Even those who don’t have children at home or whose kids don’t require childcare are affected by the trickle-down effects of the challenges the childcare industry is experiencing. Koos reports that in December 2020, the third top reason people couldn’t work in the United States was the inability to find childcare.
Play • Learn • Thrive
Call (405) 840-1686 to schedule an evaluation!
METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / MAR-APR 2022 41
Made with FlippingBook. PDF to flipbook with ease