Peoria day care centers recovering from pandemic labor drop-off

By Philip Haldiman
Mail | Twitter: @PhilipHaldiman

Employment at child care centers across the United States has been hit hard by the pandemic, and Peoria programs continue to struggle with low employment and long wait lists.

The AM/PM Before & After School Care program, a partnership between the city and Peoria Unified School District, provides elementary school-aged children with arts and crafts, group games, STEM projects, field trips during break camps and outdoor activities at more than 22 elementary schools.

In January 2020, the program employed 216 nonbenefit part-time staffers, but was decimated when the pandemic hit that March, losing its entire workforce as schools went virtual.

Kelli Kincaid, neighborhood and human services department deputy director, said the program is still recovering from the drop-off with only about 50% of its pre-pandemic staff level. This is coupled with a current registration of about 820 and a wait list of nearly 950.

“The labor problem is not isolated to the city of Peoria. It is happening in surrounding cities and school districts and remains to be a nationwide issue affecting day cares and transportation across the board, along with several other things,” Kincaid said.

In January, the National Association for the Education of Young Children conducted a survey of nearly 5,000 early childhood educators working across all states and settings and found two-thirds of respondents reported experiencing a staffing shortage that affected their ability to serve families. About 52% of those with staffing shortages were forced to serve fewer children while 37% had a longer waiting list.

A survey conducted last year by the nonprofit found worker shortages in nearly every state, with some as high as 90%.

“In the face of extraordinary labor challenges across the U.S. economy, low compensation for early childhood educators remains the primary driver of this severe child care staffing crisis, which leads to closed classrooms, disruptions in quality, and longer waiting lists, perpetuating unemployment for parents,” NAEYC CEO Rhian Evans Allvin said in a news release. “This is an immediate economic challenge that requires an immediate public solution.”

Adding to labor challenges locally, the minimum wage increased Jan. 1, from $12.15 an hour to $12.80 an hour, and Proposition 206, which requires all Arizona employers to provide paid sick leave, implemented recent scheduled increases.

In Peoria, the AM/PM program has been helped by pandemic relief funds  used for staff recruitment, retention and to increase wages. To date, the program has received $1.26 million.

These funds are made available to Arizona through the Child Care and Development Grant with relief funding appropriated through the American Rescue Plan Act, and approved by city council Sept. 14, 2021.

“We are not where we were previously, but we have seen a bit of momentum with the ability to be able to increase the part-time, non-benefit salaries due to the grant we received from the Economic Department of Economic Security. So we have been able to sustain,” Kincaid said. “I wouldn’t say we’ve been able to increase as much as we’ve liked, but we continue to work on ways to do so.”

Philip Haldiman can be reached at phaldiman@iniusa.org, or on Twitter @philiphaldiman.

Philip Haldiman
Senior News Editor | Peoria
@PhilipHaldiman

phaldiman@iniusa.org

Meet Philip
Haldiman is an award-winning journalist who most recently took first place for investigative reporting in 2023 from Arizona Newspapers Association. He joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2015, covering Sun City West his first year. Since 2016, he has covered the city of Peoria. Prior to coming to INI, he was a reporter with The Arizona Republic for seven years, covering numerous cities throughout the Valley. Before that, he was a freelance writer.

Community: Haldiman spearheads the Peoria Independent Hometown Heroes Awards program, honoring local individuals and businesses that give back to the community. He has hosted local candidate forums over the years and is a member of the Society of Professional Journalists. Haldiman also served as a member of the Journalism Program Community Advisory Board at Glendale Community College. Outside journalism, Haldiman served as a member of the city of Peoria Complete Count Committee for the Census, 2019-2020. Lastly, he has served as a member of his HOA governing board since 2021.

Education: Arizona State University with a BA in Journalism and Mass Communications and a BA in Theater. 

Random Fact: Haldiman is a fourth-generation Arizonan as well as wrote and produced an autobiographical comic book about his time spent in Hollywood and his life as a cult film star.

Hobbies: He enjoys hiking Arizona’s mountainous landscapes and is currently working on a play for the stage.