Hi Tim
I hear your frustration.
The childcare industry, especially front line early educators and small owners and directors have been confronted with seemingly un-resolvable opposing priorities and often limited guidance and information to inform hard decisions. I think its important that each Family CC Home, Center-based program and childcare organization consider its individual challenges and the needs of its staff, families and the community it serves and make the best decision it can about staying open for children of essential workers who are not early educators or closing for the duration of social distancing. I hope we all honor and respect each decision.
Some states have been stepping up to support the industry - here's a link to what my home state - Vermont - is providing in terms of guidance and immediate financial supports
https://dcf.vermont.gov/cdd/covid-19. I am really appreciative of these policies and resources even as I consider it may not be enough to cover hazard pay and health care coverage for early educators available and willing to provide services, and the increased health, safety and sanitizing products and processes child care programs need to put in place to protect all participants.
I have heard, and it is likely true, that essential workers may prefer someone coming into their home to provide childcare. Some essential workers - who are putting themselves out there every day providing healthcare, delivering mail, stocking grocery shelves, and managing government programs bringing relief and resources to all of us, (to name a few essential services) - have trusted family, friends and neighbors who are able to support that. Others simply do not. For those families, who better to provide safe, nurturing, responsive care in a crisis than early childhood professionals? We have, as a profession and industry, skills, knowledge, experience and spaces that are particular to childcare as an essential service. It is not business as usual and you are right, we've been given few guarantees on how to provide and sustain it. It means limited group sizes, smaller adult:child ratios, stepped up preventive health practices, intensive cleaning and sanitizing, adjusted routines - both in the program and for families coming in and out of the program-, and as much time out of doors in active play as we can get into the day. This is our work and we know how to do it. I hope we don't all decide to step back and let someone else solve this thorny challenge.
This is an unprecedented moment in history. I hope that the childcare programs and early educators who can, will step up with courage, expertise, creativity and yes, love for children and families who need us, and communities who, if they didn't appreciate us before, will learn in this moment, who we really are and why what we bring is particular and essential.
I commend and appreciate each and every early childhood professional and child care program making their way though these trying times and challenging decisions - whatever you decide is right for you. Hang in there and lets work together to make sure we can rebuild a stronger, better, more resourced early care and education system all across this country once we come through this.
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Reeva Murphy
Early Care and Learning Consultant
Heart of a Child
Stowe VT
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Original Message:
Sent: 04-01-2020 01:43 PM
From: Tim Kaminski
Subject: It's Time for All Childcare Centers to Close Nationwide
The lack of respect, concern and acknowledgement for the childcare industry over last several decades has been deplorable. Childcare and Early Childhood Education have been the anchor and stability in America, that has allowed the economy to grow and prosper. However it has been on the backs of the childcare labor force and the owners, operators and directors that are responsible for keeping these programs going regardless of the circumstances.
We have now reached a crisis that no one saw coming. Three to four weeks ago, our government started shutting down businesses, schools and public spaces, There were cries to help save restaurants and start using take out so they wouldn't have to close and lay off employees. Other small businesses were ordered to close as well, but their product or services were not something that could be saved by just ordering out.
Through all of this, childcare centers were told that they needed to stay open to provide care for "essential workers". And although centers were losing enrollment and revenues due to the government telling people to stay at home and closing public schools to help with social distancing, there were no cries to say, hey community and parents we need you to help save the day cares by continuing to pay your tuition, even though your child may not be attending, or make a donation to your local day care to help keep them open.
Now almost 4 weeks later, thousands of childcare centers have closed nationwide, but childcare centers are still being told to stay open because they are an "essential business" needed by the community so "more important" people can still go to work. And yet there has still been no significant support directed towards the childcare centers. The SBA 7 Cares Act that just passed is too little, too late. The actual "loan" money won't be received for at least another two to 3 weeks and it has become impossible for the childcare centers or their employees to access and register for the unemployment benefits due to that system being overwhelmed with request.
So why are we continuing to try to stay open for a small group of people that are considered "more important" than we are. Why are we continuing to put our staff, our children and ourselves at risk for getting the virus, because the government somehow now considers us to be "essential" but only because they need us for the "truly essential" workers to be able to go work. We are not getting the support we need, we are not getting the acknowledgement that we deserve, and we are continuing to be treated as an after-thought in the bigger picture of how to survive this crisis.
So I say that it is time for all Childcare Centers across the Nation to close their doors this week. A complete shutdown of the childcare industry, just like the rest of the economy has been shut down. We deserve to be respected and protected just like everyone else who participates in this economy. We shouldn't wait for the Government to tell us what to do. We are on our own and we need to decide for ourselves what is best and right for our Industry. It does no one any good to be a marter at this time. If we unite as a Childcare Early Childhood Education Community on this one single issue, we can finally get the attention of the Local, State and Federal Government and say to them, we can and will be a necessary part of the economic recovery in the future, but only after you have taken care of us first.
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Tim Kaminski
Director/Owner
Gingerbread Kids Academy
Richmond TX
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