{"id":367889,"date":"2018-07-24T13:58:41","date_gmt":"2018-07-24T18:58:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/?p=367889"},"modified":"2020-04-10T09:52:31","modified_gmt":"2020-04-10T14:52:31","slug":"child-care-becoming-scarcer-as-costs-closures-take-toll","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oklahomawatch.org\/2018\/07\/24\/child-care-becoming-scarcer-as-costs-closures-take-toll\/","title":{"rendered":"Child Care Becoming Scarcer as Costs, Closures Take Toll"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
An ongoing series that explores how Oklahoma\u2019s severe human-needs issues affect the lives of children.<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The unexpected closure of a well-regarded, highly rated child care center in Oklahoma City has put parents in an all-too-familiar, tough spot: scrambling to find places for their children amid a drop in the number of day care options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Jennifer Morton, the closing of Oklahoma State University-Oklahoma City\u2019s Child Development Lab School means she\u2019ll likely have to take off work as she awaits word from other centers that have a waiting list. It\u2019s not as simple as just placing a child in another day care center. Waiting lists in top-rated centers can be even a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents were notified in late June that the OSU-OKC center will close Aug. 10.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s not a lot of options that offer as high a level of care,\u201d said Morton, who has one son in an infant\/toddler class and another son who attended but is now in kindergarten. \u201cWe had very little notice and not really enough time to get on the waiting lists for other places.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The OSU-OKC lab dates to 1991 and expanded several times to take up to 60 children, from birth to age 5. It also was accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, making it just one of 10 accredited by the organization in Oklahoma City and 65 statewide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

University officials said the closure came from a change in strategic direction for the lab, which had outgrown its original mission to help train child care workers, nurses and emergency medical technicians. Although the university supported the facility financially through maintenance, administration and other costs, the decision to close wasn\u2019t strictly financial.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt wasn\u2019t a matter of not having the revenue,\u201d said Sandy Pantlik, OSU-OKC spokeswoman. \u201cWe grew it to be able to cover our costs, but it grew out of our original mission. This was not an easy decision for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, Oklahoma City Community College closed its child development center and lab school at the end of June, with the loss of about 70 places. Other on-site lab child care centers have closed in recent years at Rose State College and Moore-Norman Technology Center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decrease in the number of child care facilities has put parents in a squeeze and led many to wonder how businesses that often charge more than a monthly mortgage payment can struggle to keep their doors open. Industry representatives blame excessive regulation and a state subsidy whose income ceiling excludes many parents who still struggle to afford child care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2012, the numbers of centers and homes providing child care in Oklahoma has dropped 23 percent, from 4,200 to about 3,200. During the same period, the number of places fell 11 percent, according to data from the Department of Human Services. (The rates are different because many child care providers that have remained open have taken on additional children.) The state has licensed child-care capacity of 121,000, down from 135,500 in 2012.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The closures come even as Oklahoma\u2019s child care subsidy will get its first increase in almost a decade. Federal funding through the Child Care Development Fund will let DHS increase the subsidy<\/a> to 65 percent of the latest market rate. A DHS panel voted unanimously for the increase on July 27, although dozens of child care center operators urged members of the DHS Committee on Rates and Standards to increase the subsidy to 75 percent of the market rate. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reimbursement rates are tied to the quality ratings for child care providers. The ratings are one star, one star plus, two star and three star. Providers outside metro areas also get a higher, enhanced rate. Not all providers accept DHS subsidies, although almost 6 in 10 facilities do accept children who need child care assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kathy Cronemiller, who owns six child care centers<\/a> and is on the board of directors of the Oklahoma Child Care Association, said DHS has enough flexibility with the new federal funds to increase the subsidy from 38 percent to 75 percent of the market rate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou look at the trends in the numbers (of facilities) and wonder what\u2019s going on,\u201d Cronemiller said. \u201cSome people are making money, but clearly it\u2019s not everybody, and some are breaking even. The subsidy hasn\u2019t kept me in business. It\u2019s the fact that I\u2019ve been in business so long that my buildings are paid for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DHS spokeswoman Debra Martin said increasing the subsidy is a good first step after years of flat subsidies. The proposal provides at least a 7 percent increase for all providers except one-star centers. It also creates a single statewide rate for three-star centers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Costs for child care differ by age, location and type of facility. Infant care needs a higher staffing ratio and is costlier than care for older children. In 2017, the average weekly costs for care in a center ranged from $134 for children under age 1 to $106 for 4- and 5-year-olds. For care in licensed homes, the average weekly cost per child ranges from $112 to $104.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many families, the cost of child care exceeds other typical household expenses such as rent or a mortgage. In a recent survey<\/a>, 22 percent of parents said they received some kind of help from DHS to pay for child care. That\u2019s down from 38 percent in 2015.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DHS is looking at raising the income and co-payment thresholds for parents to qualify for child-care subsidies, Martin said. That effort is expected to be finished by next summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cronemiller said revising the income threshold is overdue. Qualifying incomes for parents were last raised in 2007, and there\u2019s been several increases in the minimum wage since then. Low-income parents are left to juggle care with family friends or relatives if they can\u2019t qualify for assistance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow are we going to help anybody if the scale is outdated?\u201d Cronemiller said. \u201cAll the research shows how important the early years, zero to three, are for development.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Aidyn Grayson, left, and classmate Alex Lomanaco raise their hands during a song at Children\u2019s Discovery Center in Norman on July 24. Children\u2019s Discovery Center has seen an increase in interest from families affected by the closures of other daycares. Credit:<\/span> Whitney Bryen \/ Oklahoma Watch<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Paula Koos, executive director of the Oklahoma Child Care Resource and Referral Association<\/a>, said Oklahoma is in the top tier of states when it comes to oversight and regulation of child care facilities. The association contracts with DHS to help match parents with child care resources, assist providers and collect data for policymakers and community members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s great for children because it means somebody is looking at whether they\u2019re in a quality, safe environment,\u201d Koos said. \u201cBut child care is a very difficult business to break even. You have to be a very good manager in order to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koos said everybody wants consistent, safe, quality child care for working parents, but the reality is a little different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor many families, child care is a patchwork,\u201d Koos said. \u201cGrandma keeps him one day, Aunt Sally the next, and then they stay with a neighbor next door one day. That\u2019s all well and good, because all those people love that child. But do all of those people have training in first aid, CPR, safe sleep?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Koos said that kind of care is less concerning than unlicensed facilities providing care. There\u2019s no good way to track unlicensed facilities because many of them work on a word-of-mouth basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are communities where people know that a certain family takes care of children and they\u2019re not a licensed facility but they\u2019re the only facility in that neighborhood or that community,\u201d Koos said. \u201cI think some parents don\u2019t understand sometimes how dangerous that is to have an unlicensed facility because things happen even in licensed facilities. Accidents do happen, and you want people to be ready and prepared to deal with them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Federal legislation that passed in 2014 and was linked to the block grant directed states to establish minimum protections for child care, most of which Oklahoma was already doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are some providers who think that the state of Oklahoma is overregulated and because we\u2019re overregulated, it costs them too much money to operate,\u201d Koos said. \u201cI feel like the regulations that we have in the state of Oklahoma are in the best interests of the children.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parents of children at the OSU-OKC\u2019s lab school said it will be hard to find other providers offering similar levels of care and education. They\u2019ll miss the community and the peace of mind they got from knowing their children were in a good learning and care environment. The facility has 11 employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Elizabeth Kanoski\u2019s daughter has been at OSU-OKC\u2019s lab school since she was 8 months old. She\u2019ll turn 3 at the end of August. Kanoski said the search for a new place has been disheartening. Her daughter has already noticed changes as the facility starts closing down and talks of missing \u201cher Cowboys\u201d at the OSU facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t found another facility that has that outstanding accreditation along with caring teachers. Their love for the kids really showed,\u201d Kanoski said. \u201cThat facility means a lot to a lot of people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The story was updated to reflect an Oklahoma Department of Human Services panel vote on July 27.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reach Paul Monies at pmonies@oklahomawatch.org.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since 2012, the number of child care facilities has dropped by nearly one-quarter, putting parents in a pinch as they try to find places to take their kids. 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