ExchangeEveryDay Past Issues

www.samyeli.net

I currently have three licensed child care centers. We serve approximately 140 families. It has been a huge struggle to stay afloat. Parents are loosing their jobs and it takes all spots full to maintain expenses. We are mandated to specific ratios and in order to do that cutiing staff when your short a few kids in each class is impossible. In order to keep all staff working I am extending our hours to a swing shift. My thinking was that the building expenses are already paid hoping the second shift would help. I have been advertising, hand delivering and posting start up information for the second shift and am having no luck. I was hoping to keep employees and not have to pass on the loses to the cutomers that are also struggling. Its a tough position to be in for a person with a caring heart.

Another great issue. I love all the attention the natural play environments and outdoor time is getting. Would love to tell your readers about a free resource for parents and educators:

www.greenhour.org

Each week you will find new activities, book recommendations and resources for getting kids outside. There is also a blog and an online community, as well as a podcast. You can syndicate the material on your own sites via the RSS feeds or the widgets. Please take a look and share the resource with your parent communities.

Sincerely, Bethe Almeras
www.greenhour.org

Hi! Cool site!!!
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Thank you for the wonderful article on the Economic Stimulus and Child Care. The article was Beautifully written, heartfelt by most all who read it. I am honored to be a part of such a great industry of people who care!

My community consists of single women who do not have many resources to afford themselves or their children an opportunity or access to information and means to move their families from poverty to empowerment. As a provider, I have not only become a confidant to their enviornment, but also I have become a filter for them to disburse information about programs and other necessities available to assist in supporting parents and their children.

Please forward to us information to provide our parents to assist them in affordable housing, grants for scholarships for summer camps and afterschool program initiatives, playground grants, etc. as well as ways we can continue to assist our community with not only affordable child care and information but a great place, aesthically to represent the many ways to improve our families and communities.

Your continued support of childcare and advocacy is so greatly appreciated.

Please check with the National Women's Law Center about the issue of including child care in the stimulus package. I have heard a variety of responses in the DC ECE community, including keeping child care out of the stimulus package to avoid losing the increase when the stimulus package ends. The goal is to create permanent support for child care for the long-term.

Each week a new parent loses their job. It's obvious, no job, no child care needed. So in the past 3 months our center has seen a child drop out each week.
The center is down by 30% for income. We are trying to cut hours when enrollment is low vs. letting a staff member go. I'm being optimistic that these parents will be able to find new jobs and bring their children back to Roots & Wings.
The reality is that the economy is effecting everyone...

Oh, have you hit a nerve! If the government call bail out industries where employees make $28 an hour, with FULL benefits, and a guarantee layoff salary of over $50,000 a year, and CEO's with private jets, $65,000 annual bonuses, and more money than most early education programs annual budget, then we sure as heck can assist those of us who work for non profits, serving families in our community who aer the backbone of labor. What part of EVERYONE is feeling the economic crunch does congress not understand? Maybe a class action suit from non profits would make them sit up and take notice???

This is a crucial time in which all early education adovates, collectivley, align the importance of early edcuation with that of future economic health and each community's sustainability. We need to communicate our views so the private sector and the education reorm advoactes can understand and be able to align with us; the need to repair our currently "broken educational system" must begin with early education, as referecned by Prfesident elect Obama during hsi campaign.

As a profession, we must make our voices heard. We have always been advocates for our children, but now it may be crucial to make our OWN voices heard.

It seems almost every week lately I am receiving another withdrawl notice because another parent has lost there job. My enroll,ent has dropped about 15% in last few months while I am offering discounted tuition I can continue at this rate.