FAIRFIELD COUNTY - More parents who are struggling to make ends meet in a poor economy are pulling their children out of day care or finding more affordable ways for their child to be supervised during the day.
This is according to a recent survey conducted by the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies. The survey suggests child-care providers across the country are suffering as more parents find the cost of day care no longer fits into their slim budgets.
Two licensed day care centers and 34 home day care providers in Fairfield County have closed their doors since January 2008, according to Ohio Job and Family Services.
It's a trend taking place in multiple areas of the country, according to the survey. About 34 percent of officials at Child Care Resource Referral agencies in the U.S. have noticed more day care centers closing in their communities because of a decrease in enrollment. More than 70 percent reported a spike in the number of parents falling behind in child-care payments, according to the survey.
Sandy Nestor, director of Sheltering Arms Day Care at Lancaster's Maywood Mission, has seen the impact the economy has had on child-care facilities.
"Three of our dads (whose children attend Sheltering Arms) have lost their jobs and two of them have had to pull their child out because of that," Nestor said.
Nestor also has noticed an increase in the number of children who attend the center on Title 20 funding. Title 20 is funding provided through JFS to assist income eligible families with their child-care costs.
She said the center has managed to keep their prices at a reasonable cost for parents despite the economy. But she said some parents are opting to place their child in an alternative form of daycare.
"A lot of people are turning to family (for child care), but that's not always necessarily the best situation because you could have a rather elderly person who is watching a young child," Nestor said.
NACCRRA is a nonprofit organization that promotes national policies and partnerships that advances a child's development and learning. It also provides vision, leadership, and support to community Child Care Resource & Referral agencies, according to NACCRRA's Web site.
Kendra Beasley, director of communications for the agency, said the survey was conducted when organization officials heard of the decrease in enrollment and increase in day care centers closing.
About one-third of Child Care Resource Referral officials who participated in the survey noted a decline in child-care centers between 2007 and 2008, according to the survey. Centers that remained open were reporting higher vacancy rates among children and layoffs, according to the survey.
Decreasing student enrollment is not a trend affecting Lancaster's West After School Center in Lancaster, said Julie Bibler, director of the center. Instead, the number of children enrolled has increased slightly to 15 children this year. Families who are eligible for Title 20 funds can enroll their children in the center.