Editor’s note: This article is by Lisa McCormack, of the Stowe Reporter, in which it was first published Feb. 19, 2015.
[I]f you’re expecting a baby and plan to return to work, you may want to hurry to reserve a spot at a child care center. It can be difficult to find child care, especially for infants, and if you manage to find it, you’ll pay up to $55 a day.
“People are calling almost as soon as they’re finding out they’re pregnant,” said Tracy Patnoe; she and her husband, Ernie, own Mud City Kids in Morrisville. “We almost joke that we’re the second person to find out after the spouse.”
A shortage of affordable, high-quality child care is hurting Vermont’s economy. Low and moderate-wage jobs are difficult to fill when parents can’t find child care, or when child care costs would consume an inordinate chunk of their paychecks.
The average family in Vermont with two working parents and two children pays between $990 and $1,075 each month for child care, according to a 2014 report by Building Bright Futures, a statewide child advocacy group for children up to age 8 and their families.
Two-parent working families earning just above $47,100 (200 percent of the federal poverty level) but below $54,168 (the state median household income) are spending 27 to 33 percent of total family income on child care.
These families don’t meet the income eligibility requirements for child care financial assistance, according to the annual report, “How Are Vermont’s Young Children?”
At the Lamoille Family Center, Debbie Trombley helps families find licensed child care providers and to apply for child care subsidies if they qualify.
Lamoille County has about 95 licensed child care providers, including day care centers and in-home providers. But many of those places have waiting lists. Parents who do find open slots often struggle to pay the cost.
“We need more quality child care and they need to be recognized and valued for what they do,” Trombly said. “They put a tremendous amount of work and energy into these kids, and we need it for them to be successful little ones.”
It’s most difficult to find care for children under age 2 because the required teacher-to-child ratios are higher than for older children.
Daily rates for in-home care range from $25 to $35 while centers charge between $32 and $55.
Lower-income parents may qualify for child care subsidies, but the amounts granted don’t cover the full cost, according to Trombly.
“A full-time certificate covers maybe three days,” Trombly said. “They have to find other resources — family members and friends — to cover the other days. It can be very difficult.”
Parents are eligible to receive a tax credit of up to $3,000 per child or $6,000 for two or more children for child care expenses, but those credits come when taxes are paid at the end of the year.
Trombly said the tax credit does little to ease the weekly financial burden.
“The child care tax credit is helpful at end of the year, but for parents to budget more easily, I wish they could get that throughout the year,” Trombly said.
She encouraged parents to reach out to lawmakers.
“When I hear families share their frustrations, I say, ‘Write a letter, share your stories,’” Trombly said. “Things aren’t going to change unless you tell your stories.”
Staff turnover
Child care providers face their own set of challenges, from finding and retaining qualified workers to complying with an ever-growing list of state regulations.
Patnoe has owned Mud City Kids for over 16 years. She works up to 11 hours a day at the center while her husband works a full-time job and helps maintain the center’s building and grounds.
She started the business as an in-home day care when she couldn’t find child care for her own children.
Located on Route 15A in Morrisville, it’s licensed to care for up to 55 children, from six weeks old through the start of kindergarten.
Two years ago, the Patnoes added a large addition to the building, but there’s still not enough room for all the families who want to enroll their children.
Thirty children are on her waiting list, the majority of whom are infants, along with some 2-year-olds and preschoolers.
It’s not unusual for parents to wait for up to a year for an opening at the center, according to Patnoe.
“The last infant we took in was on the waiting list before he was born, and he just got in at nine months old,” Patnoe said.
The center employs 10 staff members, and struggles to find and keep qualified teachers.
“It’s hard work,” Patnoe said. “It’s long hours. A lot of people think of it as playing all day, but it involves planning, assessments, teaching the children, working with families and lots of cleaning.”
The state-mandated qualifications for teachers at licensed day cares are similar to those for public school teachers, yet day care teachers don’t receive the same pay, vacations and other benefits, making the work less appealing, Patnoe said.
The majority of her teachers have bachelor’s degrees.
Her average annual turnover rate is between 20 and 30 percent, lower than the national average of 40 percent, but still frustrating. Most stay for about two years.
In the past year, the majority have left for jobs that offer health insurance, something Patnoe says she couldn’t afford without a huge tuition hike that would be unaffordable to the parents she serves. Between 30 and 40 percent of her parents qualify for state child care subsidies.
More paperwork
In the years since she started her business, the required paperwork has become overwhelming. She’s now required to submit immunization reports, sleep safety reports and medicine reports, and may soon be required to provide health reports.
“My role is now consumed with paperwork and meetings and I’m missing out on the reason I came into the field, mainly working with the children,” Patnoe said.
She questions whether some of the required reports violate the privacy of the children in her care and is concerned that other child care providers may become frustrated enough to leave the field.
“I understand the importance of this, but it’s just adding another layer to the profession and I question whether we’re equipped to take that on,” Patnoe said.
The state could help by hiring a public health nurse to check immunization and medical records, she said.
It could also help by providing more money for programming and professional development.
For Patnoe, the time and stress involved in running the business has become overwhelming.
She and Ernie are putting the day care up for sale so that they can enjoy more family time and Tracy, who recently earned a bachelor’s degree in human services, can transition to a new occupation.
Patnoe’s ready for a change and will work to find a new owner who wants to keep the day care going.