×

‘It’s going to be a crisis’

Child care shortage becomes urgent concern with anticipated influx of Prestage workers this fall

With the Prestage Foods of Iowa processing plant scheduled to open this fall in Wright County, the need for child care for the anticipated influx of families is an urgent concern, according to at least one agency.

“Right now, every child care center in Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright county has a waiting list,” according to McKinley Bailey, executive director of Building Families. “And no one new has arrived yet.”

Building Families is an agency based in Clarion that works to support activities in Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright counties that advance the well-being of children ages 5 and younger.

Daycare centers and in-home providers are already at capacity, Bailey said. When openings occur, they are almost immediately filled.

Futhermore, it’s projected that there could be hundreds of new kindergarten through 12th-grade students entering Hamilton County as Prestage ramps up.

“If you do some math, the zero-to-age-5 range, we’re talking about 300 new kids moving into the Hamilton County,” Bailey said.

About the same increase is expected in Wright County.

Humboldt County could see about 150 new children in the preschool age group, Bailey predicted.

“It’s going to be a crisis,” he said.

In Eagle Grove, Bailey’s agency has identified a church property that could work as a child care center. The state fire marshal and the state Department of Human Services have inspected the property and negotiations are underway with an existing Eagle Grove childcare facility to see if they might expand.

Talks have also been going on in Webster City, with child care providers trying to determine how the new need could be met, as well as how Building Families could support solutions.

“We’ve also been in discussions with Prestage officials themselves,” Bailey said. “They recognize that this could be an issue for their employees. They’ve been really open to supporting a solution in one way or another. They understand the need.”

Bailey has also been working with local businesses to help them understand how child care impacts their ability to find workers.

According to statistics from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, two-thirds of children under 5 now live in homes where both parents work, compared with fewer than one in 10 in 1940. Women are nearly half of the American workforce. Mothers account for 40 percent of the primary breadwinners.

“And American companies face a growing skills gap with an anticipated six million unfilled jobs by 2020. Sixty percent of employers have openings that remain vacant for 12 weeks, costing the economy more than $160 billion annually,” Bailey said, quoting labor statistics.

“U.S. businesses lose $3 billion annually due to employee absenteeism as the result of childcare breakdowns.”

Bailey said when employees have safe, secure, quality care for their children, they can be better focused on work and productivity.

Thirty-seven percent of noninstitutionalized adults are not in the work force, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

The reasons for not working vary. Some are retired or going to school. Others are disabled or ill. Still others are unable to find suitable employment. But 71 percent of those not in the workforce say it’s because they care for family members.

“A lot of those cases are because they can’t find quality childcare solutions that they can afford,” Bailey said.

A big challenge for child care providers is finding employees. Nationwide, child care workers are among some of the lowest paid hourly employees, he said.

“Locally, it’s about $8 per hour,” he said. “They could work at a fast food restaurant for $11 per hour, get paid time off and tuition assistance.”

The child care workers likely don’t receive health insurance or benefits, he said.

“And that’s not because the employers are bad people,” he said. “The money is just not there.”

Bailey’s agency wants to engage local people and business owners to develop a better understanding how the lack of child care impacts the workforce and the future workforce and the community as whole. He said interested businesses can contact him to discuss what other companies have done to address child care issues.

In Iowa, there are about 2,800 people who provide regulated child care in their home. Those serving more than five children must be registered to operate, according to the DHS website. Those sites are inspected by DHS annually.

Some providers take an additional step of getting involved with the quality rating system.

“That is a whole set of criteria that help a provider create a safer, more educational environment,” Bailey said. “With the quality rating system, we’re talking about what type of education experiences are you providing to kids in your care. Safety concerns, food preparation and caretaker education are all considered.”

Bailey said that, locally, there are a number of centers and home providers participating in the quality rating system.

One way to address the predicted child care shortage is to add more in-home providers in the county. Bailey encouraged those interested to contact his office at 515-602-6371.

“We can set you up with people who can help you get registered, who can make sure your house is properly set up for the business,” he said. “We’re setting up a grant program that might be able to help providers.”

He said those providers that are not registered or perhaps would like to participate in the quality rating system can also contact his office for more information.

“We can set them up with a consultant who can walk them through the process,” he said. “We’re definitely here to support child care providers and those interested in becoming providers.”

Newsletter

Today's breaking news and more in your inbox

I'm interested in (please check all that apply)
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *
   

Starting at $3.46/week.

Subscribe Today