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Demand for child care ramps up as schools let out, Washington state reopens

Yakima Herald-Republic - 6/29/2021

Jun. 29—With school out for the summer and the state edging closer to fully reopening, demand for child care is on the rise throughout Washington, even as capacity remains low.

Child Care Aware of Washington's Family Center, which connects families to open child care spots, has seen a significant increase in calls.

"Some callers are looking for summer care options now that schools have closed," said CCA of Washington's communications manager, Marcia Jacobs.

Others are making arrangements as more workers return to the office, disrupting informal child care arrangements with friends or neighbors that were established during the pandemic, said Deeann Burtch Puffer, CCA of Washington's CEO.

By Wednesday, Gov. Jay Inslee's office plans to fully reopen the state. It could be sooner if 70% or more of state residents over 16 have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine before then. As a result, more people are returning to work in-person.

That means more demand for child care. It's a long-anticipated change in demand for child care providers who have continued to care for children through the pandemic, even as attendance remained low. Many struggled to stay open or pay overhead costs due to low attendance and income. Others dipped into savings or went into debt to remain open.

Now, they're getting constant phone calls from parents searching for care, said Lorena Miranda, an in-home child care provider in Yakima and representative for the state's unionized in-home providers.

"Every single day, three, four phone calls," she said. "Even though I already updated my webpage that says I don't have availability during the day, they still keep calling me, asking me if I have availability. Every single day, every single day. I don't even want to answer my phone anymore. I feel so bad."

Experts worry that child care programs can't keep up with the growing demand.

"With 9% of Washington's licensed providers closed, and open programs reporting difficulties in hiring staff, we are concerned about capacity not meeting demand," Jacobs said in an email. "We have heard from some providers who would like to open additional classrooms, but cannot due to not having enough staff."

Capacity is down about 19,000 slots compared to pre-pandemic due to program closures, according to Child Care Aware. That's significant because even pre-pandemic, licensed supply had the capacity to care for just 17% of child care-aged children, state research found in 2019.

Some are also concerned about new stress being placed on vulnerable families with young children, and child care providers.

Burtch Puffert said some families that struggle to afford child care have relied on makeshift arrangements with neighbors or friends during the pandemic, which could be disrupted as people return to the workplace.

"It's going to return to that pinch," she said. They'll be asking questions like, "'What was I doing back two years ago?' 'What about now that my kid is 2 years older?' 'Are they ready to stay home alone?'"

She said she anticipates families making decisions on care — such as allowing a child to stay home alone — to in some cases be based on necessity rather than what's best for kids.

Others worry about the reduction of resources that were rolled out to help people survive the pandemic.

When the state reopens and the emergency proclamations are lifted, "that could be a real tsunami of disruption," said Lindsay Boswell, director of grants and community impact at the Yakima Valley Community Foundation. Amid the pandemic, she said struggling community members have figured out how to get by through various emergency and community programs. Removing that help could "throw things out of whack, and that's going to impact child care providers, and families seeking child care and families with young kids. They're going to bear a big brunt of that."

The eviction moratorium was one of her key concerns, she said. But the Biden administration on Thursday extended the national eviction moratorium through the end of July, and Inslee extended a tweaked state moratorium through September.

Boswell said the foundation is continuing to advocate for new resources to support families and essential workers in the meantime.

Some new support for families and child care providers is already on the way, Burtch Puffert said.

The state recently announced that families relying on subsidized child care through the Working Connections program, aimed at enabling low-income parents to work or pursue credentials while their kids receive high-quality care, will not have to pay copayments through the summer months, she said. This was due in combination to the state reopening and the number of summer camps not rebounding as much as was hoped, she said.

By October, copayments will be capped at $115 a month through the Fair Start for Kids Act, a dramatic decrease from the pre-pandemic copayment amounts of $500 or $600 that families were accustomed to, she said.

On the provider side, reimbursement for subsidized care will increase on July 1, "meaning they're going to have a bit more money in their system," said Burtch Puffert. "Incremental dollars make all the difference in the world."

She said providers should also expect to be eligible for grants to support their businesses in the fall.

Burtch Puffert said it won't be a seamless reopening for parents or providers, and some new programs aimed at helping them will likely have unintended consequences.

"It's going to be interesting to hear the stories from communities as we watch it happen," she said of the reopening. "We'll just have to keep an eye on all of that."

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