Better Pay, Better Care: A Childcare Revolution

Education
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1

The Double for Our Care Act establishes a new standard by doubling the minimum wage for childcare workers in centers serving children under five.
This policy recognizes the intensely demanding nature of childcare work, where caregivers often act as surrogate parents for entire shifts, tending to the complex needs of young children. This includes changing multiple diapers, feeding and bottle-feeding infants, and providing constant emotional support and comfort. By doubling the minimum wage for childcare workers, the act aims to ensure these dedicated professionals are fairly compensated, leading to fewer issues and reducing abuse in the childcare system, while protecting children who cannot advocate for themselves.

Key components include:

  1. Minimum Wage Doubling for Childcare Workers:

    • Set a minimum starting wage at twice the current minimum wage, reflecting the responsibilities of caring for young children, including diaper changes, emotional support, and overall well-being.

  2. State and Federal Funding Solutions:

    • Utilize a blend of state and federal funding to support the wage increase, ensuring that parents are not burdened with additional costs.

  3. Enhanced Training and Professional Development:

    • Offer programs for continuous training and development, ensuring childcare workers have the skills needed to provide high-quality care.

  4. Improved Childcare Quality:

    • By ensuring fair compensation, the act aims to attract and retain dedicated professionals, reducing incidents of neglect and fostering a safe environment for children.

  5. Community and Government Investment:

    • Encourage investments in early childhood education, recognizing its vital role in community health and future societal success.

The Double for Our Care Act aims to improve the quality of childcare by valuing and fairly compensating those who dedicate their careers to the well-being of our youngest citizens.

2

I think an important reminder should be added to this proposal: those of us who work in childcare provide a service that enables the majority of the workforce the ability to earn an income and raise a family. Often the income earned by families who need childcare exceeds the income of the provider. We are the ones wiping runny noses, teaching social skills, potty training, soothing them at nap time, teaching letters and number and shapes, helping them eat and helping them clean up, and wiping away tears as they watch their families leave them in our care. (This doesn’t even begin to cover what we provide and we absolutely love being able to provide loving and safe care to children). However, we need to be able to afford doctor visits, insurance, house payments, reliable transportation, etc just like everyone else to avoid high turnover rates among staff. It is really a non- argument since we know that stable and consistent childcare staff offer a much more comforting and predictable setting for the children. Changing childcare costs to help families while also increasing wages for staff gets brought up time and time again by our politicians, but little has changed. In fact, the government just keeps dumping more responsibility onto the provider. The CDC just released new training mandating that we, the provider, monitor children’s milestones. This, on top of everything else we do (we can do this, we do interact with most children in our care some 50 hours each week) but without any additional compensation is an example of why we say that the system continually takes advantage of our heartfelt willingness to work with young children.