REPORT Exploring the Childcare Gap for Jackson, Juneau and Monroe Counties of Wisconsin Prepared By: Authors: Audra Wieser and Sara Horstman June 2017
Executive Summary This report documents findings from a project conducted by The Parenting Place to assess the childcare gap in Jackson, Juneau and Monroe Counties in southwestern Wisconsin. This report shows there is a consistent need for more childcare options in each county in terms of both slots available and options that match the quality characteristics parents are seeking. Key findings of this project are: • The number of children needing childcare in the three county area exceeds the existing number of regulated slots by as many as 7,431. • The number of childcare slots needed in the three county area exceeds the existing total number of slots (including unregulated care) by as many as 6,533. • Most parents prefer childcare close to where they live vs. where they work and find it difficult to obtain childcare in these areas. • The cost of particularly regulated childcare is a burden or even prohibitive for many parents which forces many to seek alternative childcare arrangements for one or more of their children. • Parents are often less than completely satisfied with the quality of the available care options but need to settle for what is available. • Childcare options to accommodate rotating work schedules, weekend work, holiday schedules and 2 nd and 3 rd shift jobs were very limited. • Parents often commented that they would prefer regulated childcare but were forced to choose unregulated due to available options. Section 1 - Project Background The Parenting Place was asked by The 7 Rivers Alliance to collect data to support their SET High Quality Work Plan. Goal III of the High-Quality Plan is to reduce barriers to workforce retention. Through research, the group has identified and validated a shortage of childcare in in Jackson, Juneau and Monroe Counties. The 7 Rivers Alliance seeks to better understand childcare capacity and requested that a census of existing regulated and unregulated care in the three counties be conducted along with gathering data from employers on the childcare needs of their workforce. The information included in this report will provide SET partners the necessary information to plan for creating childcare cooperatives and give an idea of the amount of capacity that is needed for working parents. Section 2 - Research Methodology Project Leads determined the need to assess the number of regulated care slots in each county. To do this, data reports were generated using Salesforce, the program used to house current regulated child care information. Reports showing the number of licensed child care centers, licensed family child care sites, and certified family child care sites in all three counties were run and figures used in the report were as of June 13, 2017. The Parenting Place is the Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) agency for Juneau and Monroe Counties. Data for Jackson County was obtained through a collaborative arrangement with Child Care Partnership in Eau Claire, the CCR&R that serves that county. (See Attachment A) To fully assess the number of childcare slots available in each county, Project Leads determined the need to also consider the amount of unregulated care since it is known that many parents access this type of care. Data on unregulated care was obtained through numerous community contacts described in detail below. Childcare providers and various other community stakeholders were interviewed to obtain an estimate of the number of unregulated child care sites in existence and the potential number of children that they serve. The Parenting Place surveyed stakeholders in Juneau and Monroe Counties and Child Care Partnership staff provided data for Jackson 1
County. This arrangement allowed each agency to rely on the existing relationships and trust that they have built by serving as the CCR&R agency for these areas. To determine unmet needs of employees who required childcare for at least one child, a survey was created using Survey Monkey, an online survey tool. (See Attachment B) The survey was disseminated to partners on the SET team who distributed to employers in their respective counties. Data was collected from June 22 to June 28, 2017. The survey not only captures quantitative data on childcare needs and aspects of current care, but also allowed for comments on several questions to better understand challenges and frustrations faced by working families in each county. Section 3 - Regional Childcare Availability Regulated childcare numbers in the three-county area have dramatically decreased in recent years. In some areas, the number has decreased by 75% or more since 1998. Reports taken from the existing regulated Child Care Resource and Referral database (Salesforce) and community information show the following: 3.1 Childcare Sites by County (June 2017) Jackson County Juneau County Monroe County Licensed Group Centers 3 3 8 Licensed Family Child Care 6 5 20 Certified Family Child Care 3 3 4 Head Start Centers 3 3 3 Licensed School Age Programs 1 0 0 Estimated Unregulated Providers 25 14 28 In the three county area, the number of unregulated sites outweighs the number of regulated sites 67 to 56 (19.64%). It was also determined that many parents of school-age children use the Boys and Girls Club as a childcare solution (not included in unregulated total above). While the number of Head Start sites is listed, they generally are not considered a child care solution for most families because they are currently part-day programs requiring the need for surround care if the families are working. The estimated number of children served (based on regulated capacity and anecdotal reports of unregulated numbers) by each type of care are as follows: 3.2 Total Capacity by Type of Care (June 2017) Jackson County Juneau County Monroe County Licensed Child Care Centers 200 136 492 Licensed Family Child Care (8 children) 48 40 160 Certified Family Child Care (6 children) 18 18 24 Licensed School Age Programs 35 0 0 Estimated Unregulated Care Capacity Minimum Estimated 75 42 84 Maximum Estimated 200 168 560 In addition, the Boys and Girls Club in each county was found to be providing much of the care for school-age children. The Boys and Girls Club is not a licensed child care facility so does not have to meet the same ratio, staff training and maximum capacity requirements as a regulated care facility does. The total number of children reported to be served by these programs in the three-county region is 300. There is not a Boys and Girls Club located in Juneau County but community reports showed that some families travel outside of the county to attend. 2
3.3 Childcare Gap Estimated Estimated Estimated Total Slots Available 3 County Under 5 Slots School Age Slots Total Slots Gap Needed 1 (Not including Boys & Needed Needed Girls Club) (age 5-11) 2 Jackson 761 1117 1878 501 1377 Juneau 927 1360 2287 362 1925 Monroe 1810 2657 4467 1236 3231 1 Calculated by taking 6.2% of the total population of each county (The 7 Rivers Alliance Stronger Economies Together Report – March 2017; percentage of population under 5 years, total county population) and then percentage of 16+ population in labor force in each county (US Census Data) to account for the number of parents who work and would require childcare. 2 Calculated by taking 13% (The 7 Rivers Alliance Stronger Economies Together Report – March 2017; percentage of population 5-14 years of age) of the total population (The 7 Rivers Alliance Stronger Economies Together Report; population of each county) and then the percentage of 16+ population in labor force in each county (US Census Data). Finally, 70% of that figure was used to approximate the number of children 5-11 years of age. 3 Based on maximum estimated capacity of unregulated care identified above The figure above shows evidence of that the gap between the number of childcare slots available and the number needed is considerable. It is likely that much of this need is being fulfilled by parents working opposite shifts and friend, family or neighbor care that was not identified in the search for unregulated businesses. Section 4 - Overall Responses to Childcare Needs Survey (June 2017) In total, 455 responses to the employer survey were received (248 employed in Jackson County, 34 in Juneau County, 118 in Monroe and 55 indicated they worked in a county other than the three identified for this project). The other counties of employment identified were: La Crosse, Trempealeau, Chippewa, Columbia, Dane, Vernon, Adams, Walworth and Marathon. Two respondents indicated that they were retired. Ten of those who were from other counties did not have children who required child care and 45 indicated that they did. 224 respondents reported having at least one child in their home requiring childcare. The number of children they reported living in their homes who required childcare are as follows: Figure 4.1 Number of Children In My Home Who Require Childcare Responses 1 Child 111 2 Children 85 3 Children 22 4 Children 4 5 Children 0 6 Children 2 Of the 224 respondents requiring child care, 78 Reported having at least one child under two years of age. 105 Respondents reported having a child from 5-12 years of age. Several respondents indicated that care for infants and toddlers under two years and school aged children was more difficult to find. These comments align with information shared with Child Care Referral Specialists at the CCR&R’s. 3
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