Affordable Child Care For Parents And Workers

By ALEX REILLY

Shawnee County is dealing with a child care crisis. Despite a high demand for quality child care, there aren’t enough providers and openings to respond to the demand. This has a negative impact on employers, families and the economy.

Historically, child care was considered a family issue, or more specifically, a women’s issue. But a lot has changed, according to Trina Goss, director of business and talent initiatives for GO Topeka.

“This is a workforce issue,” said Goss. “I hear from employers of all sizes across Shawnee County consistently: there are people they’d like to hire, but those candidates turn down job offers because they can’t find quality child care.”

June 2024 data from Child Care Aware of Kansas shows that there is no available licensed child care in Shawnee County for 47% of working parents’ children under the age of six. This aligns with research from the Bipartisan Policy Center, which reports that 48% of women of prime working age are not in the labor force because they are caring for children full time.

The talent pool is very tight and competitive right now, with unemployment hovering just under 3% as of May 2024 data from the Kansas Department of Labor. If businesses want to grow, they need workforce.

CREATING HOMEGROWN SOLUTIONS

Family Forward, a new initiative created jointly by the Greater Topeka Partnership and Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas, was born in response to the workforce and child care shortages in Shawnee County.

“Our mission is to bring the business communities, child care providers and families together to work on this issue,” said Sarah Elsen, executive director of Child Care Aware of Eastern Kansas. “This is a complex problem. A grant helped us get started, but that alone won’t solve it.”

Family Forward has three strategies to support their mission. First, engage the business community in implementing family-friendly policies and benefits to attract and retain employees. Second, build support for the Family Forward Fund, a scholarship fund for parents struggling with the high cost of child care in order to work. Third, help providers find high-quality candidates for child care positions, expanding the number of available child care slots in the county.

THE HIGH COST OF THE CRISIS

The number one trend shaping the workplace in 2024 is offering creative benefits, including benefits for caregivers and care, according to the Harvard Business Review.

“Employers have been focused on health and retirement benefits but they need to realize that supporting working families with child care is a health benefit,” said Elsen.

“Leading companies are realizing they need to focus on child care for their employees,” said Goss, “and it’s not just in Shawnee County. This is a national issue.”

The United States Chamber of Commerce Foundation has published a roadmap for businesses to address the high cost of the crisis. It manifests not just in high turnover and a shortage of workforce, but also in lost productivity and absenteeism.

“Businesses are feeling the pain, but there’s a lot they can do,” said Goss.

BUSINESS ACTIONIS CRUCIAL

When businesses create a culture that supports and accommodates the needs of working parents, Family Forward calls them Champions for Child Care.

“High-quality child care improves a business’s ability to attract the kind of team they want and to retain them over time,” said Dr. Robert Kenagy, CEO of Stormont Vail Health. “For our team, having quality child care right across the street from our Topeka campus provides a peace of mind that makes us competitive.”

Washburn Tech has a facility that doubles as child care for children of staff, faculty and students as well as a learning lab for students in Washburn Tech’s Early Childhood Education program.

But not all employers are equipped or prepared to offer that level of support to employees.

“We encourage businesses to start by asking their employees what they need, getting their input,” said Goss. “Just giving them a chance to be heard is a great first step. Then assess what the company can do to meet those needs. We’re seeing many companies implement flexible hours and shifts, especially in the manufacturing and fulfillment sectors. This helps parents stay engaged while at work and gives them a start and end time that works better with school hours and child care center hours.”

Goss suggested that businesses take the steps outlined here, which will help their employees to better balance their responsibilities as working parents.

• Allow employees to bring their infants to work, which the State of Kansas has already done by adding an Infant at Work Program. This program permits parents to bring infants to work until age 6 months.

• Enhance your company benefits package to include the Dependent Care Assistance Program or Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account.

• Reserve spots at child care centers and offer vouchers to employees that reduce or cover their out-of-pocket cost for care.

• Offer financial support in the form of child care subsidies as an employee benefit.

• Have a plan and resources for backup care to help employees when things come up. Foster teamwork and supportiveness in your workplace culture.

• Take advantage of tax credits to finance the cost of child care. These are often underutilized.

BE A CHAMPION OF THE FAMILY FORWARD FUND

Kansas is currently among the 11 most expensive states for child care, where the cost is almost double the average rent. Child care can cost up to $10,000 per year for one child.

“It’s like running a private school,” said Tierra Patterson, director of Patterson Infant & Toddler Child Care Center, which is an expansion of Patterson Family Child Care Center. “It’s highly regulated and requires continuing education and accreditation to stay licensed.”

Family Forward has established a fund to help parents with the high cost of child care. Supporting this fund through the Topeka Community Foundation is the fastest and easiest way for a business to become a Champion for Child Care.

EXPAND THE CHILD CARE TALENT PIPELINE IN SHAWNEE COUNTY

Just as workforce is critical to the community, it’s also a tremendous challenge for child care providers.

Family Forward has eight centers currently working with the initiative on attracting people to join the profession. People can apply on the Family Forward website familyforwardnow.org. After passing an initial screening, applications are shared with all centers connected to Family Forward. This helps providers find the workforce they need, and it streamlines the process for the applicant.

Elsen is emphatic about quality.

“Licensed child care is not babysitting. It’s a highly regulated industry,” said Elsen. “But there currently aren’t enough people entering the field.