A new school year began last week and education is top of mind for many families across Rhode Island, particularly the skyrocketing cost of post-secondary education. Rhode Island Promise, which offers two years of free tuition at CCRI, was approved and included in the 2018 budget. Governor Raimondo spent 6 months lobbying for the program, stating it would help Rhode Islanders who are “asking for nothing more than a fair chance.” The goal of the program is to help people graduate without the stress of student loans and to secure better paying jobs.
The cost of early childhood education, however, is mostly overlooked by the public, the government and the media. It is becoming a crisis – there simply are not enough affordable, high-quality child care options. Low reimbursement rates from the state and supply and demand drive the weekly rates up. The center my children go to has increased rates by 28 percent over the last four years.
Studies have shown that high-quality child care is more beneficial for a child’s cognitive, language and social development skills than low-quality care. I think we all agree that children, regardless of socioeconomic status, should have access to high-quality care. It is the foundation of a child’s future success as a student. It ultimately helps with the percentage of students who read and write at grade level and achieving the better test scores the public school system is so desperately trying to attain.
The cost for my preschooler and toddler to attend a high-quality program with a focus on early childhood education is $2,400 per month - $28,800 a year. An individual has to gross $42,000 per year
just to pay for child care. There are roughly three other high-quality centers in my area that are more affordable options, but they all have waiting lists.
Middle class families are going into debt to afford child care, which is generally the largest monthly household expense. The teachers are making an average of $10 - $13 per hour to educate and care for our children 10 hours a day.
Governor Raimondo has been successful in implementing new education initiatives, including more state-funded Pre-K classrooms and all-day Kindergarten, but there is more to be done
The solution is implementing a tiered reimbursement rate plan at the state level for high quality centers. 38 states have these programs and it has proved successful in raising the number of high-quality, affordable care options. There is a significant gap in the state reimbursement level for families that cannot afford child care ($188 per week for a toddler) and the actual cost of care ($329 per week). Families who pay full tuition are absorbing the difference by way of yearly rate increases.
The 2018 budget has already been passed and there are no plans to address the need that affects so many families in this state. Through education and advocacy, we can and should continue pushing for change. Children who cannot advocate for themselves also deserve nothing more than a fair chance.
Kate Polucha Medeiros is a working mother of two children under the age of five.