Child care enrollment is returning, but teachers aren’t

'Everyone had hoped we were coming to a better place.'

Early Bird readers, hello again. Newcomers, welcome! If you were forwarded this email, you can sign up here to receive it every two weeks, and join our conversation on issues facing North Carolina’s young children and those who support them. If you’re already a subscriber, please help us reach more people by sharing this with your friends and co-workers interested in early childhood education.

A new survey, released at the end of July, has documented the financial struggles many child care providers, educators, and families experienced during the first year of the pandemic. As we head into an uncertain fall, new challenges are arising for providers who can’t find qualified teachers.

In April, one in five child care providers who responded to the survey said they were at risk of closing permanently in the following six months without more financial support. Thirty-one percent of respondents reported revenue losses greater than $45,000, citing drops in enrollment and higher costs to meet pandemic safety standards.

“We wanted to have the survey data to complement what we knew anecdotally,” said Sheila Hoyle, executive director of Southwestern Child Development. The survey was conducted by Zogby Analytics, commissioned by the NC Child Care Resource and Referral Council, and funded by the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation.

Enrollment is almost back to pre-pandemic levels, especially for children whose parents rely on the subsidy program to afford care. But many providers are struggling to fill job openings, sometimes having to cut classrooms.

“This is probably a little bit before we were feeling the full brunt of the staffing crisis,” said Janet Singerman, president and CEO of Child Care Resources Inc. “That has exacerbated the challenges of remaining open and economically viable during COVID. And as enrollment was recovering … the variant presumably will continue that challenge rather than lessen that challenge when everyone had hoped we were coming to a better place.”

What challenges are you facing in serving students or accessing early education for your children? Reply to this email and let me know. As school starts back, I’m also continuing to look for stories about what this year looks like for the early elementary grades. Let me know what you’re seeing in your classrooms and communities.

Thank you for all you do for our youngest learners.