Exploring the Impact of High Poverty Rates on Child Care Access
In Neosho County, nestled in Southeastern Kansas, lies the city of Chanute. With just over 8,500 inhabitants, Chanute is home to many people seeking available and affordable child care. However, with a poverty rate of 18.8% (a rate 25% higher than the rest of Neosho County, and 1.5 times higher than that of the state of Kansas), its citizens are struggling to find these options.
Community Concerns: Voices from Parents and Providers
Anna, a coalition leader in Neosho County, shared, “We want to ensure children are receiving the best possible education,” and therefore the need for well-trained providers is a necessity. Caleb, the father of two children in child care in Chanute, agreed, stating that there are not many options for affordable, high-quality care, and that his community would greatly benefit from better training for existing providers. Penny, a child care provider in the same city, also feels that affordability of child care, the quality of staff, and the difficulty of navigating child care policy are some of Neosho County’s most pressing issues.
“Parents have heard horror stories,” Caleb shared. He has heard tales of children who have received poor-quality care and worries that if all children are not receiving high-quality child care, his community and the economy of his county would not be able to grow. Furthermore, he divulged that he has found there to be a severe lack of available child care slots in local centers and at the facilities of in-home providers.
Penny, who has a waitlist of about 30, stated that while providers are “always here,” they often feel taken for granted and are not paid (or cannot pay their staff) what they are worth. Additionally, Caleb shared those difficulties in navigating child care policy prevents new providers from entering the field, divulging a story about his wife, who attempted to start a child care facility of her own, but grew so frustrated with the hard-to-maneuver policies that she was unable to continue with the process. “People want to support their communities, but they can’t,” he explained.
From the Source: Urging Policymakers to Hear from Families and Providers
The overwhelming consensus is that policymakers are urged to get into communities and experience the child care system on the ground to fully understand the needs of parents and providers. By simplifying the navigation process for child care policy, Caleb and Penny agree that both families and the providers who care for their children would be better able to grow their community. Penny also shared that by making resources and workshops affordable and easier to access for providers, the quality of child care in Neosho County would increase exponentially.
Quality staff, she said, equates to quality care. Anna has seen that businesses in the area have already committed to providing subsidies for child care, but that further support for providers would relieve stress for all. Grants from agencies like Child Care Aware of Kansas and others have proven to help their plight, but more is needed to thrive.
Policymakers are urged to get into communities and experience the child care system on the ground to fully understand the needs of parents and providers.
Working Together to Strengthen Neosho County
Neosho County is not balking at the idea of implementing new strategies to create a stronger child care system in their community. Anna shared that plans have been drawn up for a new child care center, which would aid in creating more availability. However, there is a large amount of funding needed in order to realize this dream. This funding, alongside effective training to encourage high-quality practices by providers, would put the minds of parents “at ease,” according to Caleb, and would help to build up their community, brick by brick. As Anna expressed, their community is “stronger working together,” and they plan to do just that.
