McKyndree Rogers: Greater access to child care the great equalizer

By McKyndree Rogers

Child care is not working for just about anyone in Washington state. Parents struggle to find and afford child care, yet despite the high costs, the wonderful early educators who care for our kids aren’t taking home a living wage. I have personally experienced this, both as a mom of two and as someone working at a preschool program. Our state needs bold investments in child care, which would have a far-reaching, positive impact on our kids, families, providers, employers and our local and state economy.

When I had my first child, I was working at a day care center. I didn’t have paid family leave and I had to go back to work within a month, because I couldn’t afford to go without a paycheck for any longer. The center I worked at didn’t take babies under the age of 1 and I couldn’t afford to put my baby into any other program. I was lucky to have family members who could help care for my son, so I could keep working. Without them, I would have been in a scary situation – not earning enough to afford child care, but without any source of income if I left my job.

Now, I work as a family support specialist at an early learning program funded by the state. I love seeing the positive impact the program has, both on the children and their families. However, space is limited and that means there are children who miss out, for no good reason.

I know that struggle. Most programs in my community were way outside my budget.

My passion for early learning and supporting families is what keeps me going, but I can understand why many leave the field. I work full-time, and I still don’t make a living wage. I recently took a second job so I can afford the basics like food and clothes for my own kids. That’s exhausting. Plus, the pandemic has brought new challenges for child care providers, greatly increasing costs and making child care slots even more scarce.

There is a child care crisis, and the harm it is causing is far-reaching. It’s not just a “moms’ issue.” It’s hurting children, families, businesses and our economy. Fixing Washington’s upside-down tax code, and making significant investments in child care will be like the rising tide that lifts all boats. And given the challenges facing parents and providers, we certainly need to expand unemployment insurance so that caregivers who leave their jobs due to lack of affordable child care are covered.

Thanks to the passage of the Fair Start for Kids Act more parents are able to qualify for Working Connections Child Care, a state program that assists parents with child care. However the state still needs to increase the reimbursement rate per child for participating so child care providers can provide quality services and pay employees. This program still leaves parents in the gaps not able to afford quality care for their children.

Every single child deserves access to early learning. It helps them prepare for school, builds their social-emotional skills and establishes a foundation for learning. Making early learning universally accessible would improve outcomes for an entire generation. The positive impact would extend beyond the children, too. Parents who have access to child care can stay in the workforce, and that helps drive our local and state economy, benefiting virtually everyone.

Yes, investing in child care will cost money, but every year we go without universal access to affordable child care and early learning costs us in other ways. The difference is that the costs currently fall on parents, families and working Washingtonians, rather than Washington’s ultra-wealthy and big corporations. The care and education of our youngest children is something every Washingtonian has a vested interest in – it is a public good. With a progressive tax revenue plan, not only can we close the early learning gap for kids, we can jump-start our economy and make our state stronger. It’s past time we treated child care as the basic infrastructure that it is. As a parent and an early childhood educator, I’m calling on our elected leaders to have the courage to take this important step.

McKyndree Rogers is a mother, an early childhood professional and a member of MomsRising in Spokane Valley.