From Early Childhood Focus

Column: Is child care worth more to kids -- or budget-cutters?

Posted in: Michigan, Child Care Workforce

By Sheila Holland
June 27, 2007

A couple-dozen crucial cogs in the state's business and economic policy wheel showed up at a recent hearing on the 2008 state budget.

While such a contingent generally draws the rapt attention of lawmakers, this group's attire -- T-shirts that formed a kelly-green block in the audience at the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Human Services -- signaled they weren't taking that for granted.

Smart move, since they've been overlooked in the past.

How overlooked? Well, it's been 11 years -- longer than similar workers in any other state, they say -- since they got a raise from Michigan taxpayers.

But not so overlooked that lawmakers didn't finger them for cuts in a budget that is at least $1.6 billion short.

So came members of the Child Care Providers Together Michigan union, which represents 40,000 in-home child-care providers statewide. They tend to 200,000 Michigan children whose low-income working parents qualify for state-subsidized child care.

The Michigan Senate wants to save $27 million by cutting back the number of child-care hours the state will help those families cover from 50 to 45 per week.

The union was formed in December with the backing of the United Auto Workers and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Workers. Union representatives say they want to improve child care by providing workers with better wages, and health care and vacation benefits.

Pamela Stewart of Benton Harbor, a 29-year veteran of the profession whose home is licensed for 12 children, told lawmakers that when she started in 1979, her state payment was $1.50 an hour. Now it's $1.95.

Hmm, do we have a problem?

Only if you're a working parent trying to find quality child care.

Only if you're a state trying to keep more former welfare moms on the job so you don't get whacked financially by the federal government.

Only if you're a lawmaker representing taxpayers who want to help boost the economy.

"Without child-care providers our communities would suffer," Stewart said, " ... businesses would be unable to operate efficiently."

Full text available at Mlive.com