The undersigned organizations express our support for strengthening the child care system in North Dakota. Increase pay for child care workers and ensure professional development opportunities are within reach. Reach more families eligible for child care assistance.Įxpand a shared services model to make it easier for child care businesses to coordinate common services. Identify and remove barriers for participating in the quality rating and improvement system (QRIS).Īlign licensing and quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) requirements with Head Start. Provide additional support to expand mental health resources for child care providers. Provide start-up or capacity grants to support new and existing providers with the ability to expand their capacity in areas with low child care supply.Įxpand Head Start capacity and Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships, particularly in tribal communities operating tribal Head Start programs. Prioritize federal child care funding to reach areas with the most significant need. Our specific recommendations to improve child care in North Dakota include: As the state spends $76 million in relief money from the American Rescue Plan Act, we are urging policymakers to invest in solutions that balance the needs of working families and child care businesses. Child care workers earn $24,150 per year if working full time at the median wage of $11.61, just barely hovering above poverty level for a family of three.Ī better child care system is in reach for North Dakota. At the same time, child care businesses struggle to stay open and often must sacrifice worker pay to continue operating. This means for full time infant care, families spend between $7,600 and $9,500 on average each year. Child care is as expensive as in-state tuition at UND or NDSU. For families that do find care, the cost is often out of reach. Only 3 percent of licensed programs are open during the weekends, 4 percent open during evenings, and 25 percent open during early morning hours. Parents that need care during non-traditional hours find even fewer options. Fourteen counties in North Dakota meet less than 60 percent of the demand, and eight of these counties also experience high unemployment or poverty. Many communities across North Dakota lack accessible and affordable child care to meet the demand for our state’s working families. Access to affordable child care is essential for parents to stay in the workforce. Child care is a critical component of a thriving economy.
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