As families are being pushed out of the middle class, they're increasingly struggling to pay for the child care they need in order to meet both their family and financial responsibilities.
In a country where the legal climate is family-hostile and employers may be so unsympathetic as to insist that sick employees work, fire women over pregnancy, where having the time or the space to breastfeed a new baby is often a luxury for a working mother, and where there are serious financial penalties for taking part-time work, having reliable child care is a necessity for a great many families.
And childcare costs. Either it costs the family the lost income of a parent, which many families can't afford, or it costs someone outside the family for their time and resources, which many families also can't afford.
At the Enfield Child Development Center in Connecticut, which is supported by a combination of state and federal grants alongside parent co-pays, teachers like CSEA/SEIU Local 2001 member Sharon Keenan do their best to meet these needs.
"It's rewarding to see the impact we have on the lives of children's families," Keenan said. As she told Rep. Joe Courtney (CT-02), when he came to the center for a "Walk A Day In My Shoes" event, "It's a great feeling to know we've helped them succeed by caring for their kids."
Enfield Center's Deputy Director, Dianna Wassenhove, pointed out that one of the things government officials need to recognize when making funding decisions is that the amount parents would have to pay to have the center fund itself isn't feasible in today's economy. She said parents would have to pay $400 per week for each infant or toddler in their care to make up for outside funding.
Connecticut's minimum wage is $8.75. If a parent making minimum wage worked 40 hours per week, they would take home roughly $350. It's easy math to see that not only would a minimum wage salary not pay for childcare, but that someone making double the minimum wage would still have to pay over half their salary just to see that their children were well cared for.
Because of tuition supports, the NAEYC accredited Enfield Center can give children a good start in life even if their parents can't spare $1,200 every month. Because of funding cuts, they'll have 16 fewer slots to offer families this September.
That means 16 more families who'll find themselves stressed, worried, and hard pressed to find care for their little bundles of joy.
Enfield Center's teachers provide a vital public service that improves the lives they touch. The families they keep out of poverty and the children they prepare for success in school are their legacy.
Enfield Center's teachers are among the public sector workers Congress no longer wants to fund, because they're more worried about irrelevant deficits than vital services that the families of Enfield, CT, need today.
