Spread Love to Family Childcare Providers

As the coronavirus outbreak continues, more and more people are losing jobs to include the most recently affected; family childcare providers. Larry Hogan announced that all childcare centers and homes must close unless they are caring for the children of essential workers. With these announcements, like most others, came panic and confusion. Workers considered non-essential now have to keep their children at home, while still paying their children’s tuition. While this is true, it is important to understand the difference between a home daycare and a daycare center.

When choosing a daycare for their children, many parents opt for in-home care options. These homes are self-run businesses approved by the state. Family childcare providers have opened their doors as daycares. While they must follow certain state guidelines, they are self-run.  Parents go this route for the home-like environment, a closer teacher to child bond, and the overall accommodating atmosphere. After enrolling their children, parents are immediately satisfied with the care they receive. It is evident that family childcare providers not only open up their homes but also their hearts. The children become close to each other in the small environment, close with their provider, and the overall feel of the home is the same as a second family. The relationships of those within the home cannot be found in a daycare center.

That’s not where the differences end. Most daycare centers receive state funding and are generally more expensive than in-home childcare. While the price is one deference from centers, many parents also realize the benefits of home care. Children in daycare homes receive special, individual attention. The children spend their day with the same provider who will know what they’ve learned, what they’ve eaten,  and what they have done.  Children have an opportunity to grow and learn with other children in a smaller setting. This means stronger friendships and lasting memories. Also, quality of care and consistency means more to the family childcare provider than centers because this is their home and their business.

Family childcare providers are running their own businesses. This means, that when a state-wide shutdown occurs, they are hurt more than centers. Most centers receive some sort of state funding, while family childcare providers do not. Most family childcare providers rely solely on the tuition of each child. Currently, Maryland’s Office of Childcare is offering different means of help in the form of the EPCC program for licensed childcare programs, which states that those benefits only apply to those who take the children of essential personnel and must be approved by OCC. If a childcare home has no children of essential workers, they are out of a job and have no form of income, the same fate as most local businesses.

While Hogan has created programs to help those unemployed and out of business, there is a serious gray area when it comes to family childcare providers. Even though the CARES Act was passed, as of right now, family childcare providers are not eligible to file for unemployment. This means that they will receive nothing from the state. This is important to remember when you are considering pulling out of these programs. The livelihood of these providers is dependent on the tuition that parents are still paying. While this may be frustrating, parents should keep a clear head. When this passes, parents are going to continue needing childcare, and if they pull out of these programs, they risk losing more than their child’s spot in the program. They risk losing the long-lasting relationship that their family has built with their family childcare provider.

So while this pandemic continues, it is important to remember our relationships with one another. If you are seriously impacted, reach out to your childcare providers because they are people too. They love your children just as much as you do, and while they are dependent on a contracted salary, they understand and want the best for each family in hopes that they can continue this unique working relationship and loving family setting that they worked hard to achieve with each family.