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Child care group changes closures policy

Columbian - 3/18/2019

March 18-- Mar. 18--Winter brought a brief splutter of snow and ice through Clark County this year that nonetheless closed and delayed school in some districts. And when schools close, so do the Southwest Washington Child Care Consortium day cares and preschools connected with some campuses.

Prior to this year, Educational Service District 112, which runs SWCCC, would charge families tuition on those days the centers closed. But citing "feedback from families," ESD 112 last month changed its policy regarding emergency closures. Parents will no longer be charged for days that centers are closed due to weather or emergencies, retroactive to Jan. 1.

"We deeply value parent feedback and the change in policy was made in direct response to requests from parents for help with the regional and national issue of the rising cost of childcare," said Jodi Wall, executive director of ESD 112's Early Care and Education department, via email earlier this month.

The policy change is expected to affect the families of the about 1,700 children who attend a SWCCC center, including infants, toddlers, preschool-aged children and school-age students. Full-day rates range from $41 to $62, depending on the child's age.

But for Vancouver father John Patrick Pullen, whose two children attend a SWCCC center in central Vancouver, being charged for missed child care was the least of his problems.

Pullen reached out to ESD 112 to share his concerns that the child care workers at SWCCC were not paid for those days lost. SWCCC employees are hourly, so like employees of most private businesses, they are not paid on days missed due to emergency or weather. Staff can use paid time off for those days, but otherwise cannot make up those lost hours.

"We don't bill for hours people don't work," said Debbie Ham, executive director of Support for Early Learning and Families. The nonprofit contracts with SWCCC to provide staffing. Job listings on SELF's website show that child care and preschool staff earn between $12 and $17.35 an hour.

That's frustrating for Pullen, who said he and his family couldn't "do our lives" without the support of the teachers at their child care center.

"I see these people who make minimum wage and they do it because they love it," Pullen said.

As for changing the contract so parents are no longer being charged, Pullen said that's no solution.

"This is the fundamental issue: I paid my bills, you should pay yours," he said.

Wall, meanwhile, said while she appreciates Pullen's advocacy, the issue underscores greater problems in the child care industry: limited funding compared with the public education system, and high costs to families.

"We changed our policy because we are listening to parents who told us they are struggling to make ends meet financially given the rising cost of high-quality child care," Wall wrote.

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(c)2019 The Columbian (Vancouver, Wash.)

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