First Responders’ Needs Mean Tough Choices for Childcare Providers

A new article from Spotlight on Poverty summarizes the challenges that child care providers face in remaining open to serve other essential workers. Specifically, the low-paid workforce, who often lack health insurance, are caught between needing a paycheck and fear of infection. At least one state—North Carolina—is paying childcare workers a $300 bonus (less for non-teachers and part-time staff) to remain open, but providers in several states note that even if staff choose to work, a lack of cleaning supplies prevents providers from sanitizing effectively. Finally, closures and reduced operating capacities (including the patchwork of emergency systems in response to the pandemic across states) are producing funding gaps so large that many providers may be unable to recover. #covid-19 #childcare