Lack of Child Care in Region Affects Working Parents

August 4, 2023

Original coverage by Darcie Shinberger with Macomb Community News Brief.

MACOMB - Parents who work evening and weekend shifts, or who reside in smaller communities within the state, such as McDonough County, might find themselves in a bind in regard to childcare options to meet their needs during their working hours.

Regional Office of Education 26 (ROE26) staff discussed these challenges, along with the importance of early childhood care, at a recent Macomb Area Chamber of Commerce Board meeting. According to Christine Nicholson, ROE26 Early Beginnings director, Birth to Five Illinois has been conducting a yearlong review of the region’s childcare options, as well as challenges faced by parents.

“Through our Early Beginnings program, along with the Birth to Five review, what we hear most are there are little to no childcare options for those parents who work second or third shifts. We’ve worked with many families who struggle with reliable childcare for those evening shifts. Often. they’ll use use a hodgepodge of care through their family and friends’ network,” Nicholson explained. “There’s also the issue that you have to have a job to qualify for childcare assistance, yet you need childcare in order to work. It’s a double-edge sword for many parents.”

To help temporarily alleviate that challenge, through June 2024, parents can receive three months of childcare assistance, thanks to the Illinois Department of Human Services’ Childcare Assistance Program (CCAP), during their job search (the assistance is allowed once every 12 months through June 30, 2024). For more information about the program, including how to apply, visit tinyurl.com/DHSCCAPInfo

The waiting list for area daycares are quite lengthy, added Chelsea Ladd, director of ROE26’s Preschool for All Program, particularly for birth through three spots. In addition, travel can also pose a challenge. For example, a parent living in Colchester and working in Macomb might find the only childcare option is home-based care in Blandinsville. To make this arrangement work, the parent(s) have to get their child(ren) to the childcare provider and make it to work, repeating the trip in reverse after their shift.

“Childcare centers are also struggling to find employees. Without the adequate number of employees to meet state-mandated requirements, daycare centers and childcare providers are unable to add more classrooms and childcare options,” Nicholson added.

ROE26 Superintendent John Meixner noted that the shortage of spots, along with care outside of the normal 8-to-5 weekday, is a national issue.

“The availability of early childhood care is a problem throughout the United States. There are funding issues, lack of qualified staffing, waiting lists and other challenges that face birth through Pre-K care and programs,” he explained. “We offer a variety of early childhood programs through our ROE; however, getting communities to understand the vital importance of early childhood programs remains a challenge. The support and resources have to be committed to these types of programs and care. Brain development from birth to Pre-K is critical, and early childhood programs, through centers and at-home care, make a difference.”

According to Meixner, progressive companies/employers are now beginning to recognize in order to recruit and retain employees, services such as in-house daycare and other childcare incentives are vital for morale and staffing. While areas businesses do not offer these incentives, what ROE26 provides to area childcare centers (Catch a Star Learning Center and the Y Daycare) are licensed Pre-K teachers, funded through a state grant, to add more classrooms and learning opportunities for the Pre-K set within the county.

“While this doesn’t address the need for additional care opportunities for evenings and weekends, we do address the need for that critical Pre-K learning. The grant through our ROE gives these established centers licensed Pre-K teachers, which provides an additional learning opportunity for approximately 150 children,” Meixner explained.

This program is provided to the centers at no cost as the grant pays for the teachers and incidentals needed, such as supplies and snacks. The centers only have to provide classroom space, and much like MacArthur Early Childhood Center in Macomb, which serves 100 children from the community, parents who have children enrolled in the Pre-K centers through Catch a Star and the Y Daycare do not have to pay for the 2.5 hours of pre-school. Ladd is currently working to implement the Preschool for All program in other childcare centers throughout the region.

“There is a need for additional Pre-K and other childcare programming, including those ‘off-shift’ programs, in our region,” Ladd noted. “Not everyone works the traditional 8-to-5 job, and area parents who work outside the 8-to-5 timeframe need that quality level of care and learning for their child(ren).”

Meixner added that while the ROE26 isn’t currently in a position to offer such a service, should a center establish overnight/weekend care programs, the ROE would provide training and programming assistance.

“Communities need to begin to shift to the idea that birth to five and Pre-K programming and care is vital to their community’s viability and health,” he stressed.

Shannon McKee, family and community engagement specialist for Birth to Five Illinois Region 26, added that her organization is working in every Illinois community to learn more about why families aren’t accessing available early childhood services.

“We provide a platform for families, early childhood providers and community members to say what is best for their children’s future. Over the past year, we have asked families in Region 26 (Fulton, Hancock, McDonough, and Schuyler counties) to tell us what their experiences with child care have been,” she explained. “Our next step is to inform school districts, families, providers and local government of this information so they can use it to guide their future decisions.”

“The Early Childhood Regional Needs Assessment is available to the public at birthtofiveil.com/region26/#report, and we expect this report to be used to help inform decisions and find solutions that benefit families. Our findings indicate a great need for more childcare spots, especially for children ages birth to three,” McKee pointed out. “We found low pay for child care workers resulting in a lack of employees impacts the number of childcare spots.”

The report indicates that 64 percent of of children, from birth to five, do not have a slot in a licensed child care center or home, and there has been a decrease in licensed home providers since the pandemic. In addition, as Nicholson and ROE26 staff shared, distance to travel is a barrier to accessing quality early childhood services for many families in the region.

“This is especially true when seeking special needs services such as speech or occupational therapy. Waitlists are often very long for therapies and for child care. One parent we interviewed stated, ‘After seeing the waitlist, we just had to wait until after our child turned three to enroll him in childcare,’” McKee shared.

Kimberly Hare is the owner and director of Catch A Star Learning Center in Macomb, the only self-sustaining center in town that has been providing birth through Pre-K, as well as after school and summer care for children through sixth grade, since 1993 (previously Catch A Star was called Robin Redbreast). Hare said that due to the crisis in staffing at childcare centers, Catch A Star has been forced to concentrate solely on providing care during typical working hour. According to the Illinois Annual Child Care Report FY2022, there are only 34 licensed centers in the state that offer weekend care and eight that offer overnight care.

“Licensed centers in Illinois are required to have qualified administration and teachers on site during the hours the facility is open, and currently, there just aren’t enough of either to cover a facility 24/7,” Hare explained. “The requirements and guidelines set by DCFS (Department of Children and Family Services) continue to change and increase, which squeeze out many previously licensed providers.  Since 2019, over 464 Centers across IL have closed classrooms and facilities, leaving 5,883 children without care.”

Home providers are only required to have a high school diploma or GED and pass the background check. Teachers in Illinois licensed childcare centers are required to have 60 semester hours of college education with at least six semester hours dedicated to early childhood education.  In addition, an extensive background check is required, along with a physical exam, immunizations and 20 hours of training before entering a classroom, Hare noted.

Like her early childhood colleagues pointed out, she stressed the importance of early childhood learning as the first five years are crucial for physical, intellectual and social-emotional development. An infant’s brain actually doubles in volume after the first year and is the basis for educational building over the next 12 years of their schooling.  

“Whether at home or in a center, every time you talk to a child, play with them, make them laugh, it not only builds and strengthens relationships and mental health, it teaches them important life skills, from making friends to taking a test to getting a job,” she said. “Quality interactions early and often matter.”

For parents seeking childcare options, Hare recommends comparing available choices before making a decision. When a program is selected, even if it’s prior to birth, it’s recommended to register and/or get on a waiting list as soon as possible. The Child Care Resource and Referral is available by calling (866) 370-4556 for a listing of openings for licensed and unlicensed daycare and home providers in a seven-county area.

“Communities need to work together to ensure all children have access to the care and services they need,” McKee concluded. “Collaboration amongst public and private entities could help to provide more childcare slots and mobile therapy services. Licensed child care home providers are needed throughout Region 26, and living wages and opportunities for staff to be adequately trained ensure programs can run smoothly and without interruption. When child care programs have a strong connection to the community through support, communication and collaboration we can improve equitable access to childcare.”