Study cites critical child care shortage

Sonoma County faces a critical shortage of child care services
according to a report presented to county supervisors on the
economic impact of the child care industry in Sonoma County.
Licensed child care providers in the county bring in $91 million
every year, provide 2,412 jobs and care for some 17,100 children,
but the county needs a lot more care providers according to the
report released by the Community Child Care Council.
The council, a nonprofit group that advocates and supports child
care services, had the report prepared by the National Economic
Development and Law Center in Oakland to point out the growing need
for child care.
“People call our office looking for resources,” said Jim Leddy,
district coordinator for Senator Wes Chesbro at the child care
panel on Jan. 14. “Often they have to quit work or drop out of
school to take care of their kids.”
With child care workers in Sonoma County making less than
farmworkers, turnover in the industry is rapid, said Judy Edmonds,
community liaison for the council.
“When you’re worried about who’s taking care of your child, you
can’t concentrate on your work,” she said.
Studies cited in the report showed that parents with child care
providers missed work less often than those without child care
providers.
The county’s population has grown by 18 percent every year,
projected to reach 614,000 residents including 41,000 children
under 5 by 2020 — a 34 percent increase, according to the
report.
The council estimates there are 69,074 children under 18 in the
county whose parents work. Because there are only 17,100 spots in
licensed child care facilities and family child care homes, more
than 75 percent of children are either taken care of by family or
friends or are unsupervised, according to the report.
Alejandra Mendez, who runs Mendez Family Child Care in Windsor,
said recent layoffs have many providers scrambling.
“One woman I know has been in child care longer than I have, and
I’ve been in it for 10 years,” she said. “Most of her parents were
working for Agilent or Medtronic AV and so she lost half her
people.”
Mendez said she cares for six children full-time for $160 each
per week.
“A lot of people call me to ask about care for their child and
say it’s too expensive,” she said. “I know a lot of those kids end
up without adequate child care. There are so many dangers. I’ve
cared for some kids who didn’t know who they were going to
tomorrow. Kids need a sense of stability.”
Gretchen Manshade, site director for the William K. Johnson
Infant Development Center in Healdsburg, said the North County is
definitely feeling the child care pinch.
“People do this job because they love children, not for the
money,” she said. “It’s one of the lowest paying jobs you need
college level coursework for.”
The center, founded to provide care for babies of teen parents
at Healdsburg High, has opened up to the community this year
because there are only three children of teen parents enrolled.
There are 17 children from three months to 3 years old in the
center, which usually only takes 16.
Most of the children in the center are kids of working parents,
she said.
Children in quality child care have less run-ins with the
police, saving the public money, said Santa Rosa Police Chief
Michael Dunbaugh.
“Who’s going to deal with kids at 6 or 7 p.m. when they’re
damaging property with skateboards?” said Dunbaugh. “Who takes the
report on shaken baby syndrome? Law enforcement is designed to
maintain order, not to solve society’s problems.”
An Abecedarian Project study in Chicago found at children who
had quality early education were less likely to be arrested, repeat
grades or need special education. They were more likely to graduate
from high school, get higher education and jobs.
A Perry Pre-School study of low-income African-American children
showed those in early education were less likely to never need
welfare and more likely to own their own homes and earn more than
$2,000 a month.
For businesses, Cindy Gillespie, director of human resources for
Amy’s Kitchen, a Santa Rosa frozen food manufacturer, said flexible
sick leave and work scheduling policies, emotional counseling
services, job sharing options and linking parent employees with
child care providers can help.
“We try, but our average wage is $9 an hour,” she said. “You
can’t afford child care in this community on that. Those children
may be unsupervised or overseen by other, older children. It’s a
cost issue for us.”
A lack of affordable child care may drive parents out of Sonoma
County, said Edmonds.
The report recommends public and private investments to increase
the supply of child care, businesses to partner with child care
providers on behalf of employees, increases in child care subsidies
to low-income families and incorporating child care into economic
development planning and investment.
For more information, visit www.sonoma4cs.org.