A recent report reveals an increase in the number of child care workers who are finding it difficult to afford basic necessities, such as food, healthcare, and housing. According to data from the Stanford Center on Early Childhood’s RAPID project, about 40% of child care providers struggled with these basics in 2021. By March of this year, that figure had increased to nearly 70%—the highest recorded since the project began.
“We consider these data as similar to a canary in a coal mine scenario,” said Philip Fisher, director of the Stanford Center on Early Childhood. Due to their low wages, child care providers are more severely affected by economic challenges, like the rising cost of food. Their expenses on essentials for their centers, such as diapers and food, further reduce their income, forcing some to shut down their businesses.
What Are the Biggest Issues?
Healthcare has become one of the most pressing problems for child care workers, with nearly two-thirds reporting it as a hardship this past spring. In California, nearly 37% of these workers are enrolled in Medi-Cal. Additionally, many providers also struggle to afford utilities.
Fisher noted that these issues are a result of workers prioritizing limited resources on essentials like housing and food. “People try to maintain access to food, even if they’re skipping meals. Utility payments and healthcare often get neglected because of other pressing needs,” Fisher explained.
He noted that the data reflects worsening economic difficulties, such as low wages and rising living costs. “It’s evident from the data that those we rely on to provide quality care for our children are themselves earning at levels that make it hard to sustain,” he remarked.