March 2, 2022 Survey: Chronic Child Care Staffing Shortages Persist, Threaten Economy To understand the depth of the ongoing child care crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) has been surveying thousands of programs across states and settings. Current survey results show that federal and state relief funds have provided critical support for stabilizing child care programs. NAEYC Pandemic Survey NAEYC’s newest survey results, completed in January 2022 by nearly 5,000 respondents working in child care centers and family child care homes, shows that two-thirds of respondents reported experiencing a staffing shortage that affected their ability to serve families. The survey also showed that stabilization grants provided through the American Rescue Plan were critical in helping child care facilities stay open, including during the recent COVID-19 Omicron wave, even if providers were simultaneously unable to serve all families who needed care. Statistics 75% of respondents reported that the end of stabilization grants would have a negative or highly negative effect on their programs. Of the respondents who said they knew enough about Build Back Better’s investments in child care and pre-k to answer the question, 89% agreed that it would “secure the future of our program,” including 86% of respondents from family child care homes and 85% of respondents from faith-based programs. 28% of respondents reported that they are definitely or maybe considering leaving their program or closing their child care home in 2022. This comes on top of recent findings from Child Care Aware of America indicating that between December 2019 and March 2021—during the pandemic but before ARP funds started to go out—8,889 child care centers and 6,957 licensed family child care homes were permanently closed. More Information For access to prior survey data and analyses: Visit NAEYC.org/pandemic-surveys Read the Survey Brief: Saved But Not Solved: America’s Economy Needs Congress to Fund Child Care Read the press release
January 27, 2022 Universal Early Childhood Education: What Could This Mean for Our Jewish Community? President Biden’s Build Back Better Framework would provide the most transformative investment in children and caregiving in generations. The Build Back Better framework would enable states to expand access to free early childhood education for more than 6 million children per year and increase the quality of early childhood education for many more children already enrolled. Additionally, the Build Back Better framework would ensure that middle-class families pay no more than 7 percent of their income on child care and will help states expand access to high-quality, affordable child care to about 20 million children per year – covering 9 out of 10 families across the country with young children. What could this mean for our Jewish community? Join the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on March 10 for their virtual event, “Universal Early Childhood Education: What Could This Mean for Our Jewish Community?” Registration is available on the Jewish Federation website. Panelists Cara Ciminillo is the Executive Director of Trying Together, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit supporting the work of early childhood through advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Ethnic Studies from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Education, Administrative and Policy Studies from the University of Pittsburgh. Anna Hartman is the Director of Early Childhood Excellence at the Jewish United Fund and the Director of the Paradigm Project, a national network that nurtures emerging leadership in Jewish early childhood education. Anna holds a master’s in Jewish educational leadership from Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion and is a doctoral candidate in Jewish Education at the Jewish Theological Seminary. She has participated in three study tours of the renowned municipal early childhood centers in Reggio Emilia, Italy. A recipient of the Pomegranate Prize, JUF’s Samuel A. Goldsmith Young Professional Award, and the Covenant Award, Anna lives in the Chicago neighborhood of Roscoe Village. Additional Information The Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh seeks to cultivate resources, connect people, and collaborate across the community to live and fulfill Jewish values. Learn more about the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh on their website.
