Bartholomew County faces a lack of capacity in known and regulated early learning and childcare programs to support children in need of care, mirroring a state and national trend.
That’s according to information provided by the Community Education Coalition, which concludes that there is only enough capacity in regulated centers to support 56 percent of children who are infants through age 5 needing care.
This statistic becomes a workforce issue as absenteeism and turnover when working parents must stay home or leave their jobs when there aren’t enough licensed centers to help care for children, said Kathy Oren, executive director of the coalition.
The analysis from the coalition was shared with members of the Columbus Area Economic Development Corp. during a recent meeting.
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Indiana loses nearly $1.1 billion annually due to child care-related absenteeism and turnover, according to a report published in June by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute.
The report prepared for Early Learning Indiana, “Lost Opportunities: The Impact of Inadequate Child Care on Indiana’s Workforce & Economy,” found that child care disruptions cost the state an additional $118.8 million in tax revenue every year.
Oren said the county has enough daycare or early education seats to support 56 percent of children who have both parents in the labor force. Local regulated programs for children have room for an estimated 2,037 children, but an estimated 3,627 have two parents in the workforce.
That leaves a gap of about 1,600 children who cannot be served in Bartholomew County in a known, regulated program, she said.
“This is a clear indication that our county has inadequate child care and our workforce is certainly impacted by this,” Oren said.
The analysis for Bartholomew County was gathered through Child Care Answers, a program of Early Learning Indiana, an Indianapolis-based nonprofit organization.
Data was collected through the National Data System for Child Care, the U.S. Census American Community Survey and the state’s Family Social Services Administration’s Child Care Information System, said Crystal Givens, director of programs for Child Care Answers.
The analysis looked at total capacity tied to high-quality seats, which are defined as providers who are certified by the state’s Path to Quality program as level 3 or 4 providers. It also includes the capacity of all known regulated seats that are licensed and regulated by the state, which includes the high-quality seats.
But Bartholomew County isn’t alone in the gap that exists in early education and daycare availability.
“It is certainly a statewide issue,” said Jeff Harris, a spokesman for Early Learning Indiana.
Harris said of roughly 500,000 children in Indiana ages 6 and younger, 65 percent have all parents or caregivers in the workforce. Economic changes over the years now require both parents in many families to be working, recognizing that the cost of childcare has become more expensive.
Harris said 11,000 Hoosiers leave their jobs on an annual basis due to circumstances such as being terminated or other factors tied directly to childcare.
“It’s really a tremendous barrier we’re seeing,” said Harris, noting that a lot of people are unable to join the workforce due to childcare demands.
“This negatively impacts our employers and our local economy,” Oren said.
Some statistics could be misleading, however. For example, children could be going to unregulated childcare facilities, Oren said.
“Because they are not known, licensed or certified with the state’s Path to Quality certification program, there is no way to assess the quality of these programs or to know who they are or how many children they serve,” Oren said.
Sixty-nine childcare programs in Bartholomew County are considered to be known programs, which can be ministries, school-based or other programs that the state is aware of, Harris said.
Of those programs, 13 — less than 20 percent — have been designated as high quality, serving about 1,000 children, he said.
Harris also said Indiana isn’t alone in facing a gap in the lack of capacity tied to early education and childcare.
“No state has solved this issue,” Harris said. “It’s something we’re grappling with all across the country.”
He said collaboration is needed between the private sector, government and entities such as endowment organizations to tackle the problem.
“It will take all those to address this in a holistic way,” Harris said.
Ongoing challenges
Affordability of childcare remains an issue in Bartholomew County.
“For lower-income families, that will be a challenge,” Oren said.
In Bartholomew County, a family with two adults, one infant and one preschooler must earn at least $56,448 annually to meet the minimum survival level that covers the cost of housing, childcare, food, transportation and healthcare.
That is based on the United Way’s ALICE report, an acronym for the category Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. It is a nationwide analysis to quantify and describe the number of households that are struggling financially, Oren said.
Twenty-four percent of families in Bartholomew County live at or below the ALICE income level, the report said.
The 216 known regulated childcare seats for infants meets about 36 percent of the need, represented by an estimated 602 infant children whose parents are both in the workforce, according to the analysis.
“That would leave me to believe that some parents are struggling,” Oren said.
Shane Yates, director of prekindergarten for the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corp., said a need exists for childcare locations specifically for infants. However, state guidelines require two adults to oversee every eight newborn babies up to a year old, he said.
“That makes it difficult for facilities to accommodate that,” said Yates, who has first-hand experience.
Yates and his wife learned that a long waiting list exists in childcare availability.
“There is certainly a need there,” he said.
The Busy Bees Academy at the R.L. Johnson Early Education Center is one of six BCSC sites that offer prekindergarten for 4-year-olds.
Taylorsville, Parkside, CSA Fodrea and Southside elementary schools in the BCSC district, in addition to the Legado Spanish immersion program at Clifty Creek Elementary School, also offer prekindergarten, Yates said.
Yates said BCSC’s prekindergarten program is focused on having students learn through play and develop social, emotional and academic skills to prepare them for kindergarten. Students are expected to know letters and numbers, how to write their names, and how to cope with their emotions, he said.
“That’s not always the skill set that children come in with when they get to kindergarten,” Yates said.
BCSC families are charged $160 per week for prekindergarten, while a modified rate of $60 per week is available for families who meet free/reduced lunch program income guidelines. More than 200 families have benefited over the past year from the modified rate, Yates said.
At-capacity programs
Local childcare providers agree on the need for more early learning childcare programs.
The Bright Beginnings Early Learning Center, housed at the McDowell Education Center, serves children six weeks to 3 years old. Children may turn age 4 while enrolled in the program, but must be 3 on the first day of enrollment.
Total capacity at Bright Beginnings is 46 children, and it is at capacity, program director Amy Gilliland said. The facility serves the BCSC community first, but is open to the public.
Bright Beginnings has a waiting list for families that are seeking care, especially for infants and 1-year-olds, Gilliland said.
The only enrollment opening for 2019 will be in the 3- and 4-year-old classroom due to children completing the program and moving onto prekindergarten next year.
“All our other classrooms are at full enrollment for next year as well,” Gilliland said.
Gilliland, who has been director at Bright Beginnings for nearly six years, also said she sees a need for more early learning childcare programs, especially in regards to environments that provide care for children younger than 4 years.
“Most families now consist of working parents that must leave the care of their child to someone outside the home,” Gilliland said. “Most brain growth occurs in the first three years of life. A quality early learning center can be a great partner to all families.”
Teacher shortages
A compounding issue is a shortage of available teachers, as fewer students are graduating from college with teaching degrees, Oren said.
In addition, more educators are leaving the profession for better paying jobs, she said.
Indiana is facing a projected 8,195 shortfall in early childhood care and education teachers by 2026, according to information released earlier this year by the Indiana’s Early Learning Advisory Committee.
Oren said pay for early learning teachers is lower than what K-12 teachers make, with teacher pay generally below other jobs requiring a four-year degree. The Paths to Quality certification also requires that a higher percentage of teachers must have a bachelor’s degree in education, she said.
“Teacher workforce, teacher pay can be a barrier,” Oren said. “In Bartholomew County and across Indiana, lack of availability of bachelor-level teachers limits our providers’ ability to expand capacity.”
Jill Hammer, executive director of Children Inc. in Columbus, has worked in the childcare field for 20 years and has first-hand knowledge of a lack of capacity to support children needing care.
Her center is a licensed childcare program for toddlers and preschoolers.
“The number of providers and the number of seats they have don’t match the needs,” Hammer said.
Hammer said Children Inc., which receives funding through the United Way of Bartholomew County, also has families that seek financial assistance for childcare. However, many of them are put on waiting lists due to a lack of funding available, she said.
Hammer tries to refer families to other childcare facilities or to Head Start, a federal grant funded program offered through Human Services Inc.
Her facility on McClure Road has three toddler rooms and one preschool room that remain empty because she can’t find qualified teachers to meet the Paths to Quality designation that the childcare business holds. Pay for teachers in the field also remains an issue, she said.
Children Inc. is rated Level 4, the highest of four levels under the state’s quality rating and improvement system, and serves children ages 1 to 12.
“We need to figure out a workforce that meets the Paths to Quality requirements,” Hammer said.
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To find Paths to Quality rated programs for early care and education programs, visit http://childcareindiana.org.
Families searching for early care and education programs can call 1-800-272-2937 or go to the online provider database by visiting https://childcareanswers.com/your-guide-to-child-care/find-child-care/
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The next meeting of the Bartholomew County Early Learning Coalition, a program of the Community Education Coalition, will be 6:30 p.m. Nov. 15 in Summerville Room 1400 of the Columbus Learning Center, 4555 Central Ave.
Typically, early learning providers, employers and community members attend these meetings. The general public is invited.
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"This is a clear indication that our county has inadequate child care and our workforce is certainly impacted by this."
— Kathy Oren, executive director, Community Education Coalition
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Expansion sought for On My Way Pre-K, A5.
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