SAULT STE. MARIE — Local teachers spoke with the community on Thursday about creating access to affordable daycare in the region.
The Sault Region Chamber of Commerce hosted the 2023 Spring Economics Luncheon on May 18, where keynote speakers focused on the importance of childcare and its economic impact.
Guest speakers were Jessica Savoie, Early Childhood Director of the EUP Intermediate School District, and Amy Scott-Kronemeyer, Sault Ste. Public schools in the Marie area.
Savoie has a bachelor’s degree in early childhood studies and a master’s degree from Northern Michigan University in educational leadership. He directs the Northern Early Childhood Support Network and provides technical assistance to early childhood educators in 36 counties in Michigan.
Scott-Kronemeyer has a Master of Education degree from Northern Michigan University and is currently working on his PhD at Central Michigan University researching instructional leadership.
Together, Scott-Kronemeyer and Savoie have demonstrated the importance of community childcare and how little access to community childcare is available.
They said one of the biggest problems is providing enough childcare in the community. One of the reasons for the lack of childcare is that workers are often paid very little and have little incentive to stay.
“A home-based childcare provider works about 65 hours a week and earns $11.37 an hour before taxes,” Savoie said. “High school students working in the fast food industry earn more per hour than our teachers who care for infants and young children.”
This often means childcare is provided by the immediate family or is less expensive, unlicensed.
“Families that don’t have reliable care may have to resort to unlicensed and possibly unsafe care just to keep their jobs,” Savoie said. “Several families have the stressful burden of caring for family and friends on a daily basis.”
The presenters said that these problems often force parents to abandon their professional careers and most often affect women. This, in turn, has a major impact on industries such as education and healthcare, where women make up a larger proportion of the workforce. These industries also make up a large proportion of the local workforce in Sault Ste. Maria.
“When young female teachers started discussing that they might have to quit or teach online due to lack of childcare, I was worried about the future of my workforce,” said Scott-Kronemeyer. “In fact, if a teacher resigns, you’re delighted to get at least one or two certified applicants. In fact, it is more than likely that we will not get candidates with the required references.”
This leads to a general lack of available care, which is both expensive and unprofitable for workers. In Chippewa County alone, nearly half of parents do not have access to permanent childcare.
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Even families that can provide childcare often have problems with regular financing. The cost of childcare options can exceed the family’s monthly mortgage cost. In Michigan, the annual cost of caring for a young child is comparable to the annual cost of attending a state college.
The average single parent in Michigan spends 44 percent of their income on one child.
There are solutions to this problem that Savoie and Scott-Kronemeyer have put forward, including investing in local early childhood outreach programs.
“If we want to be a thriving community that retains our local graduates here and attracts new talent to the region, we need to provide affordable childcare for employees,” said Scott-Kronemeyer.
Investing in the care of young children has been shown to reduce the need for special education, remediation, and social services, and lead to lower community criminal justice costs.
“Sault Area Public Schools have invested in the community by creating an early learning center in Sault Township,” said Scott-Kronemeyer. “This center will provide quality education to 150 children from birth to five years old here in Sault Ste. Maria.
— Contact Brendan Wiesner: BWiesner@Sooeveningnews.com