Childcare Issue & Action Campaign

Background

Through thousands of face-to-face conversations with parents, grandparents, childcare workers, and area employers who are struggling to hire and retain workers, we heard how the lack of affordable, quality childcare in our area hurts our families and holds our economy back.

Currently,

  • Only 50% of 4 year olds in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County have access to a quality pre-k program. 

  • Only 50% of 3 and 4 year olds from families making less than $55,500/year are in a quality pre-k program. 

  • If parents can find a spot in a quality center, costs are high and average $400-500/month per child.

  • Childcare workers and providers face low wages and no benefits, making on average $11-13/hour. The lack of stable and sustainable funding makes it difficult for providers to raise wages or plan even a year into the future. 

The key tension is high costs & no spots for parents and low wages for childcare providers.  It will take a statewide, permanent, sustainable funding source to transform the broken model of childcare. But together, we can take the first step, to address a key gap here in our community and support area employers, parents, and childcare providers.

Proposal

So that every  3 & 4 year old from a family making less than $55,500/year can have access to quality pre-k and that all pre-k teachers earn at least $50,000/year and assistant teachers earn at least $15/hour. 

In Harrisonburg:

  • Create 250 new pre-k spots and sustain the current 250 spots at quality pre-k programs by securing $7 million, maximizing federal, state, and local dollars.

  • Organize $3 million to build out 14 new classrooms 

  • Do a city-wide inventory of potential pre-k sites, including VIA member institutions

In Rockingham County: 

  • Do 300 individual meetings over the next 6 months, with County parents, grandparents, providers, school staff, and employers to determine interest in expanding pre-k access and before & after-school care in Rockingham County.

  • Do a County-wide inventory of potential pre-k sites, including VIA member institutions.