There’s a way to end child care deserts

A recent poll from the Nicholson Foundation further underscored what many parents in New Jersey learned through this lingering pandemic: Access to quality child care is limited because community-based, licensed child centers are struggling under heightened regulations that hurt their businesses.

Parents are now scrambling to care for their families and maintain their jobs. Women have taken the brunt, with six times more women than men saying they had to quit their jobs because there was no available child care, the study showed.

Just like food deserts, in which people do not have convenient access to healthy food, New Jersey is now dealing with child care deserts. Without reliable child care, it is impossible for many families to earn a living in this recession. There is no way New Jersey can economically rebound if parents are unable to work.

I wish the solution rested on the fact that the pandemic is going away. But we continue to hear about the uptick in cases in Europe, as well as in other parts of our nation. It would be irresponsible to assume that New Jersey can somehow remain safeguarded, with our state’s comparably low infection rate. 

It begs the question: What can we do to ensure that quality child care is available everywhere in the state?

One strong step is proposed legislation in the Assembly (A-4747), designed to encourage private investment in these child care deserts.

But that solution cannot rely on public schools, unfortunately. That’s because thousands of public school buildings in New Jersey have been specifically designed to serve older students, well beyond child care years. These schools are not equipped with the security, the technology or the age-appropriate accommodations of a state-licensed child care center.

Just ask the owners of any of these centers. They’ll tell you about working closely with the state Department of Children and Families (DCF) to ensure specific compliance with codes the state has established for child care centers.

They’ll also tell you that high-quality learning must include a safe, sound environment, free of lead and other toxins, as well as a modern ventilation system that prevents the spread of airborne diseases, such as COVID-19. There is no question that many of the public school buildings in the state are outdated, outmoded and would not meet DCF licensing requirements.

So, again, what do we do to serve the state’s child care deserts?

We need to ensure that private child care centers have the ability to reopen, stay in business and expand into areas of need.

That is why limited state funds need to follow the children who need it the most. Rather than New Jersey sending money to school districts to fund the ongoing roll-out of Universal Pre-K – which serves all families no matter their financial need – the state must work closely with each county’s Child Care Resource and Referral agencies (CCR&R), which should connect parents with private child care statewide in one simple funding stream.

For decades, CCR&Rs have administered state funding. They should also serve the needs of Universal Pre-K for families with demonstrated need, regardless of where they live, so children receive services from safe, licensed, high-quality childcare programs.

These community-based preschool programs pump money into the local economy through quality jobs, the use of commercial leased space and the purchasing of local goods and services. New Jersey’s child care industry had pumped more than $4 billion annually into the state’s economy prior to the pandemic.

Not only would this single funding stream allow for children of needy families in our child care deserts to get the resources they need, but it also gives their families a choice of providers and more days of care, with extended hours, unlike public schools.

Moreover, with strong interest from families in all nooks of the state, child care operators would have the incentive to build new centers to fill the void. Let’s reshuffle funds away from Universal Pre-K in select districts and use these resources to meet the state’s goal of achieving Universal Pre-K and serve the children who need it the most.

Tax credits and small business grants should be used to encourage growth in underserved areas. I envision a holistic approach; a shared responsibility among state leaders, the child care industry and the CCR&Rs to be involved in this expansion process, nurturing new business owners and providing guidance on how best they can succeed along the many road bumps they must navigate.

Together, we need to prepare, as the unknown of this health crisis will likely be followed by another economic crisis. Let’s bring entrepreneurs, business and government professionals together now to focus on funding CCR&Rs to address the child care deserts.

Such collaboration will ensure quality community based child care for every family who needs it regardless of where they live in New Jersey, as we cope with the lasting effects of this pandemic.