Shad Plank: One employer to another, as Northam talks child care

Oct. 25--For a moment, it was one employer to another, as Gov. Ralph Northam took a tour through the Maximus Inc. call center off Mercury Boulevard in Hampton.

Northam began grilling call center director Joseph Raposa about how hard it is to hire people when the state unemployment rate is just 2.7%.

It's not easy, Raposa said.

Maximus employs 700 people here -- it's ramped up quickly, growing from less than 100 when it opened its doors at the old Newmarket Fair Mall in 2017. The center takes care of a wide variety of customer service tasks for seven states' Medicaid systems, as well as overflow work from the Maximus office in Richmond that serves as a state-hired navigator for Virginia's system. Navigating the system, Northam said, can be a challenge -- that's what he found as a doctor who treats children with neurological issues.

How do you find people to do the work? the governor asked.

Raposa ticked off all the company's outreach efforts: part-time jobs, mom-friendly hours, split shifts to make it easier to fetch the kids or get dinner started, outreach to military spouses, a group that often faces challenges in the employment market because of their frequent moves.

Child care is a challenge, isn't it? Northam asked. That's what he finds, as the chief executive of a 100,000-person-strong enterprise called the state government of Virginia.

It's an issue that's been on his mind a lot, the governor said after finishing his tour. He's been keen to make sure that Virginia's youngest residents have access to early childhood education: "I don't want to say it's a legacy thing but I'll feel I'd have accomplished something if we've got that when I leave office," he said.

Talking to Raposa is a reminder there's a business stake in whether kids have a good place to go while parents work.

As a pediatrician, Northam's been thinking Virginia could take the idea of child care beyond just caretaking and into a more intensive educational focus. He and his administration have been thinking hard about whether there's a way to make that happen by setting standards or providing incentives.

Talking to Raposa was a reminder that business might have a big part to play in that kind of transformation. And it was a heavy hint to watch for an effort to help pay for broader access to preschool in the budget he'll present for the General Assembly's consideration in the next session.

Shad Plank is the Daily Press blog that tracks Virginia politics. It takes its name from the traditional Shad Planking political get-together, though hopefully it is tastier than the roasted fish featured at that Sussex County event. To contact Dave Ress with tips or questions, call 757-247-4535 or email dress@dailypress.com.

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