Important Facts about childcare in Monongalia County.

 
Many parents to not have access to the childcare and afterschool programs they need:
* childcare is expensive: the average cost for traditional paid childcare in our community runs from $100/week for 3-4 year olds to $122/week for infants; in afterschool and before school care programs, costs vary from free to $90/week per child; and the average cost for paid summer programs is $85/week

*there are only 277 slots for children birth to 24 months in the county's childcare centers

*87% of traditional paid childcare facilities had a waiting list ranging from 3 to 138 children; 45% of programs offering summer care have a wait list

*children enrolled in the pre-kindergarten program are not served on Friday or during the summer

*since the pre-kindergarten program may not be fully implemented until 2012 in Monongalia County, selection is currently done utilizing a lottery system

*3 of 31 identified childcare facilities and afterschool programs identified to participate in a recent Monongalia County provider survey have recently closed

*only 7 programs offer some type of activity for middle school aged youth

Children need a safe place to be so parents can work:

* traditional childcare services begin at 6:00 am with all but 2 ending at 6:00 pm

*40% of the workforce in Monongalia County works in the service and retail industries and require childcare in the evenings and weekends during times when childcare is unavailable to them

*the average pay for a childcare/afterschool program worker in Monongalia County is $7.27 per hour leading to high job turnover

*a recent issue of Parade Magazine lists the average national weekly pay of childcare workers at $228, below those employed as dishwashers, telemarketers, parking attendants, and taxi-drivers

*childcare centers that accept federal childcare subsidies have not had an increase in seven years while costs continue to rise (current subsidy ranges between $18-$24 per day as determined by the age of the child); this reality sometimes leads to assigning more children per worker and less consistency of staff taking care of children.

*40,329 people are in the workforce in Monongalia County

*approximately 10,000 children are of childcare age (6wks-12yrs) in Monongalia County

Growth and economic development are impacted by childcare and afterschool program availablity:
 *employers have difficulty filling positions when childcare is unavailable in the community

*parents report that their children's participation in afterschool programs significantly reduces their worries about their children's safety, reduces time away from work, allows them to work more hours or attend classes or job training, and contributes to better work performance or finding a better job

*86% of police chiefs believe that afterschool programs (including summer) greatly reduce youth violence and crime

*total direct impact of child day care services establishments in West Virginia includes gross receipts of $101.6 million, payroll of $65 million, and 7,153 jobs

*28,325 families in West Virginia would not have one or more workers in the labor force if early child development programs were not available

*by allowing adults to participate in the state's economy, the state's total income increases by $1.2 billion

The following sources were used in preparing this document: Monongalia County Childcare/Afterschool Provider Survey conducted Spring of 2007West Virginia Childcare Resource and Referral ServiceWest Virginia-A Vision Shared: Early Childhood Development is Economic Development (report on a study conducted at the Marshall University Center for Business and Economics Research)Afterschool AllianceParade Magazine- Sunday, April 15, 2007