A child care crisis in the First State is not just impacting families, but has serious implications for the economy.
That’s according to child care advocates who say 96% of providers in Delaware are experiencing staff shortages. Some have had to close classrooms leading to longer wait lists than ever before.
Madeleine Bayard of the Rodel Foundation says the situation has parents - and employers alike - scrambling.
"We’re hearing from our employers statewide that they’re having a hard time bringing women back into the workforce, recruiting; many more open positions - hundreds more - than employers would have. We’re having employers having to make more accommodations and flexibility, allow people to work part time," she said.
Child care providers say children are impacted as well. Karen Hartz of the Latin American Community Center in Wilmington says consistency is important for kids, and right now, many don't have that.
"If I'm a child in a preschool classroom, I may go through several teachers in one school year, or several assistant teachers in one year, and each of those is coming in normally at an entry level and doesn’t have a lot of the skills they need to be able to effectively do their job," she said.
The Rodel Foundation is part of a coalition of child care advocates that recently launched a campaign to write 500 emails to Gov. John Carney urging him to make greater investments in child care.
They specifically calling on state leaders to boost subsidies for child care.
Bayard says studies show every dollar invested in early childhood education yields $10 or more in societal savings.
