Like many Georgia businesses, childcare centers are having trouble finding workers.
The majority of Georgia’s 4,020 licensed childcare providers are open thanks in large part to state and federal grants. The Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning has distributed around $165 million to child care centers. That included $1,000 one-time payments to all daycare employees. Still, the money wasn’t enough for some employees to stick around.
Pam Stevens, DECAL’s Deputy Commissioner of Childcare Services, says it’s never been easy to find childcare workers, but now it’s tougher than usual.
“We’re hearing that it’s … a struggle like it’s never been before,” she says.
As more parents are working from home, enrollment at childcare centers has dropped by about 25%. Stevens says that hasn’t affected the need for staff.
“[Providers are] losing kids in every classroom, but for each classroom, it’s not enough to need fewer teachers,” Stevens says. “So their expenses are very high, but their enrollment is low.”
On average, Georgia childcare workers make about $9/hour. With retail stores offering $15/hour, it’s hard for centers to compete. Stevens says more federal money is on the way, which could help.
Stevens points out how well childcare centers did during the pandemic. There weren’t many outbreaks and providers took extra safety precautions. She says COVID-19 made people aware of how critical childcare is to communities.
“When essential workers had to go to work, childcare had to be open and they stayed open, and they took the risk and did what they had to do,” she says.
Stevens says many childcare providers also helped essential workers by giving their school-aged children a place where they could participate in virtual school while their parents worked.
Although hiring trends are hard to predict, officials hope childcare enrollment and staffing will pick up once school starts next month and families resume a school-centered routine.
