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How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

  • 1.  How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-26-2018 12:14 PM
    There has been so much discussion lately about the need to professionalize the ECE field and increase the pay and benefits for those teachers or individuals working in that field.  There is also a push to require all individuals working in the ECE field to acquire a degree anywhere from the CDA all the way up to a Bachelors Degree or Certification in a specific area.

    What is not being discussed is what this is going to cost the current providers and families of ECE programs both in the for profit and not-for-profit centers where the bulk of ECE programs are being provided.

    With this in mind, I would like to hear from some of the "experts" on what they think is reasonable for a parent to have to pay  on a weekly basis for a "Quality" early childhood education and do they have any idea how much it actually costs a business or school to provide "High Quality".  In our area for instance, the cost of care for an infant, ages 8 weeks to 12 months, ranges from $95.00 to $240.00 per week.  The local subsidy program will only reimburse the centers around 75% of the actual tuition charged and we are not allowed to collect the difference from the parents.  The quality of the facilities and the services they provide get better as you move into the higher paid tuition categories.

    Remember if full time ECE is pushed into the public school arena, local and state tax dollars will be paying for that, but only if they can find it within their budgets which are currently strapped and facing additional cuts in funding.

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    Tim Kaminski
    Director/Owner
    Gingerbread Kids Academy
    Richmond TX
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  • 2.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-26-2018 01:50 PM
    This report came out in February and addresses some of your higher level questions around the need for funding to come from outside sources - particularly the government. It is a follow-up report to Transforming the Workforce. Of course, it does not help in the short term but it does give us a goal for moving forward.

    https://www.nap.edu/catalog/24984/transforming-the-financing-of-early-care-and-education



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    Benjamin Planton
    Infant Toddler Outcome Specialist - Partnerships for Early Learners
    NAEYC Affiliate Advisory Council
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  • 3.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-27-2018 01:57 PM
    Here's another resource that might be useful:  The US Office of Child Care provides a Cost of Quality calculator:  https://www.ecequalitycalculator.com/Login.aspx 
    I think it's important for people to be talking about the gap between what it costs to run a high quality program, the amount of revenue that is available, and the impact of raising credential requirements on costs that a program incurs.  It's easier for those in authority to raise credential requirements than to find the resources to pay for it!
    If every director were able to speak in detail about the cost of quality and the gaps in funding they are experiencing, the issue would become more clear to stakeholders and policy-makers.

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    Pamela Haines
    DVAEYC
    Philadelphia PA
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  • 4.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-29-2018 11:39 AM
    I think that we need to ask ourselves what is the long-term cost of low quality!  There is ample research now on the importance of quality early childhood programs, beginning is Ypsilanti studies to James Heckman's work, and now to long term impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences ACE.  This evidence can be found at a US and Global level.  The Lancet Series, a medical journal, dedicated a number of series to the importance of early childhood, including https://www.thelancet.com/pb-assets/Lancet/stories/series/ecd/Lancet_ECD_Executive_Summary.pdf    In addition to making sure that the true cost of quality, in whatever setting, is covered through a combination of public/private investment, we need to advocate for the long term cost of inaction!

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    Jill McFarren Aviles
    McFarren Aviles & Associates
    Fairfax VA
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  • 5.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-29-2018 03:48 PM
    I believe that we are caught in the proverbial "Catch 22" situation, but I agree that we need to collectively focus on the costs of continuing to provide a highly disjointed and inequitable system of early childhood education to our youngest learners.  The mix of public/private, daycare/preschool/prekindergarten/Montessori/Reggio Emilio, etc. programs that abound in the U.S. makes it difficult to agree upon what constitutes "quality" child care.  In addition, teacher training and certifications are disparate throughout each of those programs which contribute to varying degrees of quality.  My thought is to create one umbrella under which all coexist with a unity of purpose and partnership in funding resources.  There are no easy answers, but our sole objective should be the education of our children.  Doing nothing and lamenting the cost should not be acceptable to any of us.

    Having just completed NAEYC's Power to the Profession Decision Cycle 3, 4, 5, I am concerned that having three levels of teacher training will only exacerbate the issue of "quality"; however, I applaud the effort to at least attempt to provide cohesive teacher training guidelines.  

    I still believe that teaching is an art, grounded in high quality teacher education and honed through experience, but early childhood educators need the credentials and degrees that this society esteems in order to achieve professional status and to receive more adequate compensation.  

    Unfortunately, we live in a society where many do not understand or concede the importance of early childhood education, and its potential to impact the future of our existence.    Together we can continue to raise social consciousness and to search for answers.

      I appreciate the opportunity to join this important discussion.

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    Pam Ebersole
    Early Childhood Educator
    Palm Bay, Florida
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  • 6.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-30-2018 08:42 AM
    I think I am hearing from some that one reason people in the childcare profession don't receive higher wages is that they don't have degrees.  We are building a new building and have had several people in the trades busy working - plumbers, roofers, electricians, pavers, ground-levelers, etc.  My guess is that the majority of these people do not have a college degree, but they have some sort of certification in their given area, or lots of experience in an apprentice-type situation.  I would also guess that they are making at least half again what my ECE staff will make (if not double).  So the value seems to be not so much in the degree as in the level of expertise within a given trade.  As long as childcare is equated to babysitting, people will not see the value in someone having a high level of expertise in caring for children.  For centuries, children were primarily cared for at home by mothers who did not have any specialized training, so the thought is that childcare must not require any type of education or training. 

    When someone complains to me about the high cost of childcare, I say "How much do you pay someone to take care of your car?"  They usually have no response.  When we educate the public on the crucial social-emotional and brain development that occurs in the first few years of life, perhaps they will begin to realize what a crucial role caregivers play.

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    Julie Bedard
    Director
    Amazing Grace Early Learning Center
    Oxford, FL
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  • 7.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-01-2018 10:20 AM
    Here here Julie!  I agree with what you are saying, but I'd like to add that we need to also accept the fact that not all parents can afford to pay for care/education and current levels of public funding do not support the gap between what care/education cost, and what parents can afford.

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    Ida Gatfield
    Cardinal Kids' Club
    Redwood Falls MN
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  • 8.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-01-2018 03:51 PM
    Actual cost of child care is dependent on a lot of factors. It can range anywhere from $500 to $1500 per month per child. The average cost of child care is around $1000 per month per child without subsidy.

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    Kathryn Simone
    Quality Improvement Specialist
    NJ
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  • 9.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-02-2018 08:42 AM
    This article answers the opposite question.  Not how much does it cost, but how much are families paying?  The answer to cost is not easily answered because areas of the country and even certain communities will pay more based on building and staff costs than others.

    What is the market price for daycare/preschool?

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    Julie Bedard
    Wildwood FL
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  • 10.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-18-2018 11:00 AM
    As a parent and previous Child Care worker for a "quality" childcare center (The Goddard School), I can see both sides of this argument. Tuition for one student under 2 at the Goddard School is over $1700 a month, which is a second mortgage. While tuition is so expensive, teachers are still being paid under $15/hour with degrees. Normally there are two teachers with B.A.s and one without in each classroom. All teachers are certified through Maryland and are required to complete continuing education hours, trainings once a month, and complete assessment reports. I agree with you, that I value my children's education over my car, but I pay much more for my two children to go to school for 10 months a year (over 20k). Finding quality "budget" childcare (for two children in the area I live, if I were to attend the Goddard school it would be around $3,100 a month versus what I pay $2,000) is nearly impossible. I strongly feel that child care workers should be paid more, but do not see how it can be done without government subsidy. I am extremely pleased that my current county values Early Childhood Education and is hoping to increase and expand their Pre-Kindergarten program, which has made such a great impact in our community thus far.

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    Melissa Scobell
    HCPSS
    Columbia MD
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  • 11.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-23-2018 04:51 PM
    If the expense falls entirely on the parent, I don't see how wages in the field can ever rise.  One approach that seems promising is to have government subsidy for low income families, with co-pays that gradually rise for families of higher incomes. Then those who pay the full cost are only the ones who can really afford it.  The Child Care for Working Families Act proposes that median income families pay no more than 7% of their income on child care. Most of all, I think we need to keep talking about this dilemma, and not just among ourselves.  With all the new research on brain development, lots of people are getting the idea that it makes sense to invest in pre-K.  But not many people really understand the economics of early childhood education and what it will take to provide quality both for the children and for the folks who work in the field.

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    Pamela Haines
    DVAEYC
    Philadelphia PA
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  • 12.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-27-2018 07:17 AM
    Thanks for starting this discussion about the actual cost of providing a high quality Early Childhood Education Program and services to children, families and staff. I suggest beginning to read the recent report released by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine, entitled "Transforming the Financing of Early Childhood Education". I hope the report sparks the beginning of a conversation that leads to financing Early Childhood Education Programs at a level where quality and the sustainability of quality is a reality.

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    Robert Gundling, Ed.D.
    Better Futures LLC
    Senior Consultant
    Washington, DC
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  • 13.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-27-2018 09:05 AM
    Hello,

    I have the same question about cost of quality.  I would add that I run a program in a public school that is funded solely on parent fees.  The program is part of an extended day preschool that parents can choose.  I beg borrow and sometimes I even steel from unsuspecting school administrators.  I apply for any grant opportunities, do much of our child development training myself, and can't pay good staff what they are worth.  Costs to parents are comparable to other programs in the area and we do accept child care assistance.  We also look for alternative funding options in the community.  So, we are in the same boat as everyone else.  I hope together we can advocate for public funding (yep, taxes) to pay for quality.  I also worry about the education requirements for staff because we live in a rural community with little access to people with CDA's or AA's. I do support the effort to professionalize the field, and have been active locally with the movement, I am excited to see where our profession will go. 

    Thanks for starting the discussion,


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    Ida Gatfield
    Cardinal Kids' Club
    Redwood Falls MN
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  • 14.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 04-30-2018 12:43 PM
    Based on the replies that I have received so far, I feel like I need to clarify what I am looking for.  There has been enough discussion about the philosophical and theoretical need to change the ECE system.  At this point to move the conversation forward, there needs to be some practical discussion about the "business model" for how this is all going to work.  At this point it doesn't really matter where the money is going to come from, unless we can all agree on how much all of these changes are going to costs.

    So once again, I would like to hear from individuals on how much they think it actually costs in real dollars, a center or school  to provide quality care on a weekly basis for one child and is that enough to cover all of the proposed changes in credentialing and pay increases that the Power to the Profession movement is focused on.

    My concern is that no one is talking about the money side of all of this.  Once we can determine the true cost, then we can have a discussion about how much should be paid by parents, the federal government, local government, etc.

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    Tim Kaminski
    Director/Owner
    Gingerbread Kids Academy
    Richmond TX
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  • 15.  RE: How much does "Quality" Early Childhood care cost?

    Posted 05-02-2018 09:39 AM
    Hello Tim,

    I would recommend looking into the work of Louise Stoney around the Iron-Triangle Formula of ECE Finance and the Alliance for Early Childhood Finance. Louise Stoney's work shows that at our current definitions of quality through QRIS systems maintaining the highest levels is not possible without outside support/funding. The exact dollar amount of providing care is going to vary a lot depending on the location (Rent/property costs of San Francisco vs. rural Indiana) and type of provider (center vs. home). 

    The short answer to what you are asking is no. It is not possible for it to be enough under the current models without significant outside support/funding. If you are interested in market rate dollar amounts (which in my experience are not a good estimate of the true cost of quality) a quick google search will bring up a ton of information from all across the county. 

    The TRANSFORMING THE FINANCING OF EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION (there is a download free pdf button on the right side - you do not have to buy it!) report puts the cost of operating a high-quality center at an estimated $154,000 just to meet quality standards before any children are even added to the equation. This report breaks down how much quality costs, how much parents can reasonably pay, and how much then is left that will require outside funding. It also gives a suggested timeline with recommended changes to the investment levels over 4 years.

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    Benjamin Planton
    Infant Toddler Outcome Specialist - Partnerships for Early Learners
    NAEYC Affiliate Advisory Council
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