Childcare is increasingly becoming a workforce problem for Fort Worth employers, early education leaders said Sept. 30.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But Fort Worth and Tarrant County\u2019s local system is still reaching only a fraction of the families who qualify for help, Child Care Associates president and CEO Kara Waddell said during the nonprofit\u2019s annual Early Childhood Investors\u2019 Luncheon.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While Child Care Associates helps lower childcare costs for about 16,000 children of working parents across North Texas, assistance reaches only about 12% of eligible families, she said.<\/p>\n
The cost can be significant for families that do not receive assistance. Childcare can cost about $1,000 to $1,200 a month, Waddell said, which could be more than a third of a paycheck for a low- or moderate-income family.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Access to childcare can affect whether parents are able to work.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Former U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings told Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker that employers have begun to recognize the connection between childcare and their ability to recruit and retain workers. Parker is serving her third term as Fort Worth mayor and has made education and workforce opportunities a top priority.<\/p>\n
\u201cA workforce that is underemployed and underdeveloped because of childcare issues \u2014 that\u2019s affecting their bottom line,\u201d Spellings said.<\/p>\n
Their conversation was the centerpiece of Wednesday\u2019s luncheon that brought together business leaders, elected officials, school district officials, nonprofit leaders and childcare providers.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Child Care Associates wanted them to come away with a simple message: Childcare is not solely about education \u2014 it also encompasses regional economic development and workforce issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne investment, three returns,\u201d Waddell said.<\/p>\n
Operating 15 early-learning campuses across Fort Worth, Arlington and Tarrant County, Child Care Associates works with community childcare providers<\/a> and helps with credentials, professional development, curriculum and wage support.<\/p>\n The organization also works with regional workforce boards to subsidize care for working families. Spellings praised Fort Worth\u2019s childcare and early-education ecosystem as a potential national model.<\/p>\n Pressures extend to the people providing that care, though, Waddell said.<\/p>\n She cited wages of about $17 an hour for early childhood educators, despite the fact those workers care for children during what she described as critical years for brain development.<\/p>\n Businesses now see those challenges as less of an issue confined to individual families, but one that affects their entire workforce, Spellings said. Childcare is an economic productivity issue, a workforce issue, an education issue, and even a moral issue, she said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the right thing to do, it\u2019s the smart thing to do,\u201d Spellings said of employers who are focused on investing in childcare.<\/p>\n But solving the problem is complicated, she said.<\/p>\n Childcare systems can be spread across multiple state agencies, public schools, federal Head Start programs and employer incentives, leaving families forced to navigate different programs and eligibility rules, Spellings said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Communities can start by improving information they collect about who needs care and where it is available. Parker asked what Texas leaders should do now.<\/p>\n \u201cFocus on data and results,\u201d Spellings said.<\/p>\n The stakes extend beyond the families walking into Child Care Associates\u2019 classrooms, Waddell said.<\/p>\n \u201cThe future workforce does depend on what\u2019s happening in our young classrooms right now,\u201d Waddell said. \u201cEarly education, quality childcare is a huge issue. It\u2019s not a sideline one.\u201d<\/p>\n Matthew Sgroi is an education reporter for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at matthew.sgroi@fortworthreport.org<\/a> or @matthewsgroi1<\/a>.<\/p>\n