WINDHAM COUNTY, VERMONT CHILD CARE NEEDS ASSESSMENT

June 2002

Prepared by:
The Windham Regional Commission
for
The Children First Partnership

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Those of us involved in this project have known for some time that Windham County's child care system has not been able to adequately meet the needs of low-income working parents and their children. We have, in our own ways, been working to address this problem. Yet it became clear several years ago that we needed to involve new partners in more effectively meeting the developmental needs of children and providing high-quality child care for their parents. In order to bring in new partners, we needed to have a better handle on the gap between child care supply and estimated child care need, as well as a better understanding of the specific factors related to this gap.

Thanks to the vision, commitment and diligence of numerous individuals, the Windham Regional Commission, in partnership with the Children First Partnership, has conducted a thorough, well-documented assessment of child care need in Windham County. We are grateful to the following individuals and organizations who have made this project possible:

Financial Contributors

Vermont Community Foundation
Connecticut River Valley Workforce Investment Board
Windham Regional Commission
Windham Child Care Association

Individuals, Organizations and Agencies

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce
Windham Regional Commission
Windham Child Care Association
Springfield Parent/Child Center
Early Education Services
Brattleboro Area Human Resources Network
Families in Recovery
Diane Wahle, Alliance for Building Community
David Murphey, Vermont Agency of Human Services
Ruth Mathews, Vermont Child Care Services Division
Julie Cadwallader-Staub, Child Care Fund of Vermont
Jerry West, U.S. Department of Education
Mary Field, Mulberry Bush Early Learning Center
Patty Gilbert, Vermont Dept. of Employment and Training
Sharon Hunt Abbott, Reach Up - Vermont Dept. of Social Welfare
Judi Loomis, Reach Up - Vermont Dept. of Social Welfare
Paula Wallace, Reach Up - Vermont Dept. of Social Welfare
Sarah Childs Gagnon, Technical Writer
Cheryl Farnum-Rendino, VT Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies

Children First Partnership Steering Committee

Lynn Boyle, Vermont Dept. of Prevention, Assistance, Transition, and Health Access
Debbie Carpenter, Vermont Dept. of Employment and Training
April Day, Windham Regional Commission
Sue Dyer, Early Education Services of Brattleboro
Kim Friedman, Windham Child Care Association
Kevin McElhinney, formerly of the Brattleboro Area Chamber of Commerce
Susan McMahon, Windham Regional Commission
Jon-Michael Muise, U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Rural Development
Ellen Pratt, Windham Child Care Association
Michelle Reiter, Families in Recovery
Susan Williams, Vermont Dept. of Prevention, Assistance, Transition, and Health Access

A sincere thanks to many individuals, organizations, families, businesses, program directors, agencies and clients who participated in the focus groups, interviews and surveys for this study. Principal authors of the study are Susan McMahon and April Day of the Windham Regional Commission (802-257-4547). The study would not have been possible without your help.

Contact:

Ellen Pratt, Business Liaison
c/o Windham Child Care Association
130 Birge Street
Brattleboro, VT 05301
802-387-4512
send an e-mail.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Executive Summary

Introduction

Methodology

Findings
    Population
    Employment
    Economic Conditions
    Child Care Need and Supply
        Existing Child Care Facilities
        Estimated Child Care Need and Supply
        Making Sense of the Numbers
        Interviews, Focus Groups and Survey

Implications
    Population
    Employment
    Economic Conditions
    Child Care Need and Supply

Conclusions

Glossary

References

Maps
    Map 1 - Child Care Facilities and Capacity
    Map 2 - Child Care Facilities and Development Patterns
    Map 3 - Commuting Patterns in Windham County
    Map 4 - Child Care Facilities and Economic Features
    Map 5 - Child Care Facilities and Transportation
    Map 6 - Child Care Facilities and 1990 Poverty Level

Appendices
    Appendix A - Methodology
    Appendix B - Focus Group and Interview Questions
    Appendix C - Survey
    Appendix D - Licensed Child Care Facilities in Windham County
    Appendix E - List of Births by Town

The appendicies are available online in the adobe acrobat version of this document.

Executive Summary

The Children First Partnership (CFP), a coalition of non-profit service providers, employers, and early childhood professionals, was established in the fall of 1999. It addresses the growing concerns of parents and employers about the lack of high-quality child care in Windham County, especially for low-income families and parents working non-traditional shifts. CFP's long-term goal is to develop and implement a strategic plan to address the most glaring gaps in child care services for low-income families. CFP contracted with the Windham Regional Commission (WRC) to conduct a county wide child care needs assessment. Through this process several factors emerged that together put enormous pressure on the child care system in Windham County.

Population Change

Most child care facilities are located in the two regional centers of Brattleboro and Rockingham. However, most of the overall population growth is occurring outside of these regional centers. For parents who prefer to have their children at a child care facility near their home there are limited options. This issue will continue to be a problem in the future if the population growth continues along this same trend. In Windham County, 22% of all households are female-headed with children under 18. This is a larger percentage than found throughout the state of Vermont (19%). These numbers may translate into more working mothers in Windham County than other parts of the State and the need for increased availability of child care facilities.

Employment Trends

An overwhelming number of jobs in Windham County are in the service sector. Service sector jobs are generally entry-level positions with low wages, no benefits, and non-traditional shifts (weekends and/or evening hours). Parents working non-traditional shifts often cannot find child care, which make it difficult for them to stay in the workforce. In addition, they are often forced to settle for temporary child care arrangements for their children that can create an enormous stress for parents and children alike.

Child care is generally available in the larger commute destinations, as well as job and commercial centers. Despite this, the number of available slots and hours of operation often do not meet the demands of the population, especially for those who prefer to have their children in child care close to their area of employment. According to the State of Vermont's Child Care Study, with more parents working in an era of welfare reform, the demand for child care is expected to grow by 12% over the next 10 years.

Economic Conditions

The areas of Bellows Falls and Rockingham, as well as female-headed households with children under 18 throughout Windham County, show a trend of being below the poverty level at significantly higher rates than the rest of the County. This problem is exacerbated by the existing livable wage gap. The lack of child care facilities and hours available at these facilities for those who work non-traditional and mixed shifts may further aggravate the livable wage gap, since most families are unable to work without child care.

Finding available, high-quality child care is a problem for many welfare recipients living in rural areas. Rural families typically travel longer distances to work which results in longer hours in care for their children and greater child care expenses. Rural welfare recipients also generally work more non-traditional hours, when child care is not available.

Estimated Child Care Need and Supply

In Windham County, the regulated child care system is only able to meet 36.2% of estimated infant/toddler need. There were no infant slots open at the time of this writing. The County's regulated child care system can only meet 65.5% of estimated preschool need. If only preschool slots are considered, that figure drops to 54.5%.

These estimates suggest no increase in the number of infant/toddler slots, and no appreciable increase in the number of preschool slots since 1999 (the last time these estimates were calculated), despite an increase in Vermont of mothers with young children who are in the workforce. These figures suggest that many young children are being cared for in informal arrangements, which can be unstable and lack the quality control offered by the registration and licensing process.

Conclusions

These multiple pressures place stress on the existing child care system in Windham County. In light of the overall need to increase the availability of high-quality child care CFP recommends the following actions be carried out:

• Expand Hours at Existing Facilities
• Expand Supply in Underserved Areas - (Upper West River Valley, North Brattleboro, Deerfield Valley, Bellows Falls, and North Rockingham)
• Increase Incentives for Providing Infant/Toddler Care CFP will continue to meet and work with businesses, communities, parents, and child care providers in Windham County to see the study's recommendations realized.

Introduction

The primary focus of CFP is on the child care needs of parents who are employed or are seeking employment in the service sector, parents who work non-traditional or mixed shifts, and employers who depend on entry-level workers. In addition, this study will focus on early care and education (ages 0-5) years, including infant/toddler (0-2 years) and preschool (3-5 years). It does not include after-school programs and school-aged children.

The Children First Partnership has two objectives in this project:

1. To compile the results of a needs assessment into a working document that can be used to connect people, associations and institutions in a mobilized and effective community collaboration to achieve its long-term goal.
2. To create a written plan that identifies next steps in mobilizing and acquiring resources necessary to meet the most pressing child care needs identified by the needs assessment.

The Children First Partnership Steering Committee developed the following problem, purpose, and goal statements for the project:

Problem Statement - Increase the supply of high-quality child care for all families in Windham County, particularly low-income families, those working non-traditional and mixed shifts and those in the service industry.

Purpose Statement - Assess the overall supply of and demand for child care and existing and potential community resources as they relate to addressing the gap in child care supplies in Windham County (particularly low-income families).

Goal Statement - Complete the child care needs assessment as Phase I and participate in the facilitation of Phase II, which is to develop and implement a strategic plan for mobilizing local, state and federal resources to fill gaps in the child care supply in Windham County.

Windham County is the primary area of focus for the study. However, an analysis of commuting patterns to Windham County also included bordering New Hampshire towns, Keene, and the I-91 corridor to Greenfield, Massachusetts. In addition, the Windham Child Care Association's catchment area follows the Brattleboro Agency of Human Services (AHS) District, which does not include the entire County. The Towns of Rockingham, Grafton, Londonderry, and Windham fall into the Springfield AHS District and are served by the Springfield Area Parent Child Center and are included in this report.

Data was assembled, including the most current demographic and economic information, primarily using information from the U.S. Census 2000. However, in a few cases where 2000 Census information was not available, demographic data was included from the 1990 Census. In addition, a combination of surveys, focus groups, and semi-structured interviews were conducted on a local level to round out the quantitative data being collected.

The most recent list of registered family child care homes and licensed child care facilities was obtained from the Vermont Agency of Human Services Child Care Services Division in May of 2002. ¹ This information was mapped using Windham Regional Commission's Geographic Information System (GIS). Demographic and land use information was then overlaid on child care facilities data to assist with the analysis of need.

With the analysis of existing data on the town, county and state level, as well as the support of information obtained specifically for this project, implications and conclusions were developed. For a more detailed description of the methodology, see Appendix A.

Findings

CFP and the WRC believe that many factors contribute to the need for increased high-quality child care in Windham County. To understand the extent of the pressures of population changes, employment trends, and economic conditions on existing child care availability, each pressure needs to be examined in detail. In the findings section, the reader should conceptually overlay each of the pressure points on the existing child care supply (Map 1) to begin to determine the overall child care need in Windham County.

Population

Census data (Figure 1) shows a declining population in the two regional centers - Brattleboro and Bellows Falls - and a rising population in outlying towns. These regional centers provide most of the services for the region's permanent population. Towns that have shown an increase of 25 percent change or greater are highlighted in bold in Figure 1. The data also indicates a continuing trend toward rural sprawl and growth outside of the regional centers. This pattern of development is further illustrated on Map 2 where you find the development outside of the traditional village and regional centers. Development is spreading throughout the major travel corridors of the County.

The majority of the population in 2000, as highlighted in Figure 2, is between the ages of 25 and 44 years old (28%) or 45 to 64 (27%). However, 23% of the total population is under 17 years of age in Windham County. To further break down this number, 5% of the total population was under the age of five in 2000. In Windham County towns in 2000 (Figure 3), the percent under the age of five ranged from 3% to 7% of the overall town population. Marlboro is the lowest at 3% and Jamaica was the highest at 7%. The Town of Somerset is an outlier due to the fact that the overall town population is only 5 persons.

The overall percentage of children under the age of 5 has dropped from 7% in 1990 to 5% in 2000, a negative percent change of 23% during this time period. The towns of Dover, Jamaica, Townshend, Vernon and Windham, highlighted in bold on Figure 3, are the only towns that have shown an overall increase in the number of children under 5 during that same time period. It should be noted that even though there has been an increase in these towns, the number of children under 5 is still a small portion of the population.

Overall, in 2000 19% of Vermont families were female householder families (family headed by a female with no husband present). In Windham County, the percentage of female householders is larger at 22% (Figure 4).

At present, 44% of Vermont children under five years old (approximately 14,400 children) receive child care from regulated programs. By 2011, over 16,000 Vermont children under five are expected to need regulated care. ²

Figure 4

Families ³ in 2000 With Children Under 18

Source: 2000 U.S. Census

The largest sectors of employment in the Vermont portion of the Keene-Brattleboro Labor Market Area at the turn of the 21st century are the service industries (30.8%) and wholesale and retail trade (25.4%). Health care makes up almost 20% of services, and food stores 20% of retail trade. The service sector is the largest and fastest-growing sector of Windham County's economy. Service oriented jobs, highlighted in bold in Figure 6, made up half of the employment in Windham County in 1999. Of the largest service employers in the Region, 40% were health care providers, including The Brattleboro Retreat, Eden Park Nursing Home in Brattleboro, Brattleboro Memorial Hospital, and Carlos G. Otis Health Care Center in Townshend.

In general, while the service sector is important in terms of providing stable employment, its wage levels overall are lower compared to other sectors. For example, in Windham County in 2000 the average service sector wage was $3,588 less than the overall average wage for the County. Service sector jobs also typically have non-traditional shifts, which may include early morning, longer shifts, weekend and/or evening hours.

The 2000 U.S. Census estimates that 65% of parents with children under six years of age are in Vermont's labor force. However, the actual number may be larger, according to The Institute for Women's Policy Research (1998), which calculates that 80.3% of women with children under six in Vermont are in the work force. For women with children under 18, the number is 82.1%. This compares to national figures of 64.1% and 70.3%, respectively, indicating that women participating in Vermont's labor force may be higher than the Census estimate. Mothers currently represent the fastest growing segment of the United States labor force. ⁴

Brattleboro is the largest employment center in the Region, and one of the three largest in Southern Vermont. In 1990, based on the latest available U.S. Census Journey to Work data, Brattleboro was the largest commute destination (52%) in Windham County, followed by Rockingham (13%) and the Deerfield Valley (9% - Dover/Wilmington). Map 3 illustrates where people are commuting from to the three top commute destinations. Child care facilities are generally found where the major employers and commercial centers are located in Windham County (Map 4) with the exception of the Village of Londonderry, North Brattleboro, and an industrial area in Rockingham. The ability to have reliable transportation can also impact employment opportunities. Map 5 illustrates the Windham County road network and local bus system.

Economic Conditions

According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the Vermont Median Family Income ⁸ is estimated to be $47,809. Windham County median income data for 2000 was not available from the U.S. Census at the time of publication. However, the Vermont Department of Employment and Training reports that in 2000 the average wage in Windham County was $27,888, below the State of Vermont average of $28,920. In Windham County in 2000 the average service sector wage, the largest employment sector in the County, was $24,300. Eleven percent (11%) of Vermont families with children under 18 are below the federal defined poverty level in 2000 (Figure 6). The percentage of families below the poverty level⁹ in Vermont increases in female households (25%) and even more substantially in female-headed households with children under the age of eighteen (36%).

Figure 6

Vermont Families Below the Poverty Level in 2000

Data on poverty level by town was not available at the time of this report. However, the 1990 Census poverty level for Windham County towns is shown in Map 6. In Bellows Falls and in sections of Rockingham (North of Bellows Falls) 32% of the population was below the federal poverty level.

According to the National Research Council,¹⁰ the federal poverty level illustrated in Figure 6 and Map 6 does not include the following costs:

• Child care costs
• Variations in health costs
• Variations in housing expenditures
• Changes in living standards and consumption patterns
• Government policy initiatives that have both raised and reduced disposable income.

The federal poverty figures underestimate the number of people actually living below the poverty level, because the poverty index template omits child care entirely as well as other items. Figure 7 illustrates the large percentage that child care costs (17%) represent in an overall household budget in Vermont.

Figure 7

(urban, two adults - both working - with two children)

Source: Vermont Joint Fiscal Office

Despite the high cost of child care for parents, low pay is also a significant problem among early childhood educators and creates additional pressures on the child care system. New hires at licensed centers statewide range from an average $7.21-$8.56 per hour for teachers and $9.92-$11.69 per hour for program directors. In 1999, 55% of registered family child care providers earned under $10,000 a year. Low wages result in high turnover, which is difficult, and they discourage people from entering the early childhood field.¹¹

Both The Vermont Job Gap Study (1997) and the 1999 Report of the Joint Legislative Study Committee on a Livable Income document that a significant percentage of Vermont workers still do not earn enough to pay for all the basic necessities of living. The Vermont Job Gap Study quotes the federal definition of a livable wage as one that pays a "hourly/annual income necessary to cover basic needs plus all relevant Federal and State taxes." The livable wage gap is a primary indicator of the health of the Windham County economy. With well paying manufacturing jobs becoming harder to find, residents often find themselves working two lower-paying service jobs to try to make ends meet. However, these service jobs often do not include the benefits of manufacturing jobs such as health insurance or retirement plans. The Vermont Job Gap Study concludes:

• There is a critical shortage of livable wage jobs;
• traditional unemployment figures fail to represent accurately the actual labor market conditions;
• under-employment is a serious problem in Vermont;
• the Vermont economy has, and is expected to produce, a significant percentage of low-skill, low-wage jobs;
• competition for low wage jobs is severe; and
• competition for livable wage jobs is an urgent problem.

The Statewide Child Care Study noted that between October of 1999 and March 2000, there were 6,166 Vermont families, on average, who received Temporary Aid to Needy Families (TANF). Because of the work requirements mandated by Vermont's welfare restructuring program, an increase in the need for child care is projected for families receiving public assistance.¹² A report from the Rural Welfare to Work Strategies Initiative states that approximately 75% of rural children nationally receive care through kith and kin (family and friends) arrangements.¹³

Child Care Need and Supply

Existing Child Care Facilities

The Child Care Services Division regulates registered family child care homes and licensed child care centers. State child care regulations help to ensure basic health and safety standards and set guidelines regarding education of family child care providers and center-based teachers. A list of these child care programs was obtained in May 2002 (a complete list can be found in Appendix D). These facilities were located and mapped using the Windham Regional Commission's Geographic Information System (GIS) (Map 1).

In addition, there are a few Licensed Exempt Child Care (LECC) providers in the region, but this information was not mapped. These providers are generally family or friends of those seeking care for their children.¹⁴ LECC providers are recognized by the state of Vermont in this capacity in order to allow the parent(s) the ability to receive a child care subsidy for their child care although it is not provided by a licensed center or a registered home. There are currently 18 LECC providers in the study area.

Estimated Child Care Need and Supply

The following table (Figure 8) illustrates the gap between estimated child care need and supply in Windham County.

In Windham County, the regulated child care system is only able to meet 36.2% of estimated infant/toddler need. There were no infant slots open at the time of this writing.

The County's regulated child care system can only meet 65.5% of estimated preschool need. If only preschool slots are considered, that figure drops to 54.5%.

These estimates suggest no increase in the number of infant/toddler slots and no appreciable increase in the number of preschool slots since 1999 (the last time these estimates were calculated), despite an increase in Vermont in the percentage of mothers with young children who are in the workforce. These figures suggest that many young children are being cared for in informal arrangements, which can be unstable and lack the quality control offered by the registration and licensing process.

Making Sense of the Numbers

These estimated capacity and openings figures are "soft" for several reasons:

• The supply of child care fluctuates, due to programs closing and new ones opening.
• These numbers represent a single point in time (for example, need and supply change during the summer months, which is not reflected here).
• These capacity figures are based on what is allowed by the state of Vermont and not necessarily the number of children that regulated family child care homes or center-based programs actually have enrolled at any given period in time.

If anything, however, we have over-estimated child care supply. Several factors suggest that child care supply is even tighter than these figures indicate:

• Some family child care providers and centers choose to care for fewer children than the allowable limit, thus making our capacity estimates high.
• Many openings are for part-week and/or part-day slots, which do not meet the needs of families in search of a slot. Six center-based preschool programs in the county are only open half-day.
• Child care programs' hours of operation often do not meet the needs of parents working non-traditional or mixed shifts. Statewide, only 17% of licensed centers are open before 7 a.m., only 3% after 6 p.m. Overnight and weekend care is offered by only 10% statewide. ¹⁸ In Windham County most child care centers follow an 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. schedule. Currently, there are five centers in Windham County that open before 7 a.m. (four open at 6:30 a.m. and one opens at 6 a.m.). In terms of later hours of operation, five centers close at 6 p.m., and one closes at 6:30 p.m.

Interviews, Focus Groups and Survey

The CFP conducted a combination of surveys, focus groups and semi-structured interviews in Windham County to confirm and round out the quantitative data that was collected in the previous section. These research techniques also were used to identify need and demand. The following is a synopsis of predominant themes derived from a series of interviews, a survey, and several focus groups. A list of the interview questions, the entire survey, and the focus groups questions can be found in the Appendix.

Overall, child care arrangements and satisfaction with these arrangements vary. Some of the most frequently mentioned areas of dissatisfaction are as follows:

• Cost - The high cost of child care is a concern for many parents looking for or receiving child care. At the same time, many parents and employers recognize the importance of high-quality child care at a young age and would like child care providers to receive decent wages and benefits.
• Availability - There is a lack of infant/toddler placements available, lack of part time child care (only full time slots offered, in some cases), waiting lists at many centers and homes, and rural areas having few or no options.
• Hours of Operation - Child care for early mornings, evenings and/or weekends is not available, for the most part. Sick days (either child or provider) are difficult for many families. Snow days, school vacations and provider vacations also cause a problem for many workers. Transportation, either lack of it or long distances, can be difficult for parents and children.
• Choices - In general, parents with infants or small children (0-2 years) prefer a home environment for their children. Most parents would prefer to be home with their children themselves. A second choice is generally a family member or close friend. As the children get older (2-4 years), parents generally prefer a center-based program.

Of those surveyed, 15% work evening hours, weekends, nightshifts, or hours that change daily or weekly. One-third of the respondents to this survey work in some area of the health field, with manufacturing (15%) and hotel/resort/restaurant (12%) the next highest areas. Of those with non-school aged children, 68% have their child or children in either a child care center or family child care program. Of all the respondents with children, 54.4% use a child care program in Brattleboro. Survey results showed that 71% have their children in child care for over 11 hours per week.

Most of those looking for a new child care program felt that their child's needs were changing and that they needed different hours. When children were sick, 83% stay home. Of all respondents (either with or without children), 33% felt that sometime during the past year, it was harder to do their job when people they worked with had child care problems. Of those with children who had trouble finding or keeping child care, 38% were forced to miss work, 24% were kept from working overtime, and 21% believed it was harder to do a good job at work.

Implications

The availability of high-quality child care is a concern for many parents, employers and communities. There are several factors in this region that contribute to a growing need for increased awareness, understanding, and action in this area. These stressors on the child care system are summarized in Figure 9 on page 20. Affordable, high-quality child care is essential in developing a full employment economy, raising income levels, and lowering the need for public assistance. High-quality child care can also have many positive benefits for a child's social development. ¹⁹

With the rural character of this State, County, and many towns, our findings suggest that there are some unique factors contributing to the pressures on the County's current child care system as outlined below.

Population

Most child care facilities are located in the two regional centers of Brattleboro and Rockingham. However, most of the overall population growth is occurring outside of the regional centers. For parents who prefer to have their children at a child care facility near their home there are limited options. This issue will continue to be a problem in the future if the population growth continues along this same trend. The towns of Windham, Wardsboro, Jamaica, Halifax, and Dover have experienced a 25% increase in overall population. Three of these five towns (Windham, Jamaica and Halifax) currently do not have any regulated child care facilities.

There has generally been a decrease in the number of children under the age of 5 between the years 1990 to 2000. However, the towns of Dover, Jamaica, Townshend, Vernon and Windham have shown an increase in this same population during this time period. Even though there has generally been a decrease in the population under age 5, state and national trends suggest that there may have been an increase in the number of working parents and the increased need for child care facilities.

In Windham County, 22% of all households are female-headed with children under 18. This is a larger percentage than found throughout the State of Vermont (19%). These numbers may translate into more working mothers in Windham County than other parts of the State and the need for increased availability of child care facilities.

Employment

An overwhelming number of jobs in Windham County are in the service sector, which may indicate a higher need for child care for non-traditional shifts such as weekends and/or evening hours. These jobs are generally entry-level positions, with low wages and little or no benefits. Child care is generally available in the larger commute destinations, as well as job and commercial centers with the exception of Londonderry Village, North Brattleboro and parts of Rockingham. Despite this, the number of available slots and hours of operation may not be meeting the demands of the population, especially those that prefer to have their children in child care close to their area of employment. According to the State of Vermont's Child Care Study, with more parents working in an era of welfare reform, the demand for child care is expected to grow by 12% over the next 10 years. ²⁰

Economic Conditions

Areas of Bellows Falls and Rockingham, as well as female-headed households with children under 18 throughout Windham County, show a trend of being below the poverty level at higher rates. This problem may be exacerbated by the existing livable wage gap. The lack of child care facilities and hours available at these facilities for those who work non-traditional and mixed shifts may further aggravate the livable wage gap, since families will be unable to work without child care.

Finding available, high-quality child care is a problem for many welfare recipients living in rural areas. Rural families typically travel longer distances to work which results in longer hours in care for their children and greater child care expenses. Rural welfare recipients also generally work non-traditional hours when less child care is available. ²¹

Child Care Need and Supply

The estimate of child care need in this study is a conservative estimate in light of the higher percentage of Vermont women in the workforce. There is an overall lack of regulated care, particularly for infants and toddlers. There is a lack of child care for people working evening and overnight shifts. Many of the openings that are available and many of the existing infant/toddler and preschool slots are part-time. These slots are either part of the week or part of the day, which makes it difficult for parents working full week, full days. There has been no significant increase in infant/toddler care and preschool slots since 1999. However, there is clear evidence of more parents in the workforce.

"Kith and kin" arrangements may be the only viable option for some families, but these settings are often unlicensed and unregulated and may lack quality control, health and safety standards, and stability. ²² In addition, there are likely to be a large number of infants and toddlers (0-2 years) who are cared for in non-formal situations, which may be more short-term and have a high turnover. This situation can be detrimental to a young child's development.

Four areas of concern highlighted as a result of the focus groups, interviews, and surveys conducted for this study are as follows:

• There is concern about the high cost of child care.
• Many child care programs are already filled (particularly infant/toddler programs).
• Child care during early morning hours, evenings, weekends, sick days, snow days, and school vacations is difficult to find.
• Parents cited an overall lack of choices, particularly for parents of infants or toddlers.

The interviews also highlighted the problem of finding available slots for infants and toddlers. Even though the survey is not a scientific sample of Windham County population it does confirm the 2000 U.S. Census Data that a large percentage of the population is working in the service industry. As stated in the employment indicators section this may indicate a higher need for child care for non-traditional shifts such as weekends and/or evening hours.

Figure 9

Pressures on Child Care System

Conclusions

There is an overall need to increase the availability of high-quality child care. In general, the population that appears to be most underserved is the 0-2 year olds (infants and toddlers). There is a clear need for expanded hours of operation, including more full-day, full-week programs. In addition to these overall needs, there appears to be some higher need areas in the County.

Overall, several components need to be factored into locating additional or expanding existing child care facilities. Transportation concerns, the rural nature of Windham County's road network and existing commuting patterns, as well as the population growth patterns over the last ten years, all contribute to a unique environment for assessing specific child care facility location needs. As this study was done, demand and need assessed, and mapping of several indicators (stressors) on the current child care system analyzed, a few areas in the County emerged as potentially requiring more thorough thought and attention.

• Expand Hours at Existing Facilities - Due to the large number of service sector jobs in Windham County, expansion of hours at existing child care facilities in commercial centers and resort centers should be investigated. This may help alleviate the child care needs for parents working non-traditional hours and days.
  
  
• Expand Supply in Underserved Areas:
  
  
  • Upper West River Valley (including, but not limited to, the towns of Londonderry, Jamaica and Townshend) - Several factors should be considered when looking at the placement of potential future child care facilities:
    • the presence of several employers, including a hospital and school in Townshend;
    • commuting patterns;
    • increased population growth (Windham with an overall population increase of 30.7%, Jamaica with a 25.5% growth, Londonderry - 13.5% and Townshend - 12.8% from 1990 to 2000) and;
    • the limited child care availability in the neighboring towns.
    
    
  • North Brattleboro (exit 3 area) - Many factors contribute to the need for resources in this area:
    • the presence of commercial and job center locations;
    • commuting patterns;
    • pockets of poverty;
    • insufficient child care availability and;
    • the nature of employment in the area (there are several fast food franchises with weekends and mixed shift employment, as well as large businesses with non-traditional hours).
    
    
  • Deerfield Valley (Wilmington/Dover area) - Several factors point to the need to target resources in this area:
    • the location of resort centers;
    • large numbers of people commuting to these areas for employment and recreation;
    • conversion of seasonal housing to year-round housing (homeowners living in area year-round vs. seasonally);
    • substantial population growth (Dover's population increased 41.9% and Wardsboro - 30.6% from 1990 to 2000) and;
    • the lack of currently available child care facilities other than Mount Snow Child Care in the area.
    
    
  • Bellows Falls and North Rockingham - The following list of factors, coupled with insufficient child care supply suggest this area as in need of new resources:
    • commuting patterns;
    • pockets of high poverty (32% in some areas of the village);
    • commercial and job center locations and;
    • the lack of many registered family child care homes (with potentially more flexible hours and infant care).
  
  
• Increase incentives for providing infant/toddler care - including a full assessment of cost, health care, benefits, wages, and grants for start-up with the vision for long-term operation in Windham County.

Glossary

Child care - for the purposes of this study refers to all early care and education services that are regulated by the Child Care Services Division of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, including licensed child care centers, licensed family child care homes, and registered family child care homes that have met the health and safety requirements of the State of Vermont.

Commercial center - fairly compact clusters of commercial activity that usually include a number of day-to-day commercial businesses and often governmental services.

Family - a group of two or more people (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, civil union or adoption and residing together.

Female householder families - families headed by a female with no husband present.

Infants/toddlers - for the purposes of this study, refer to all children birth to two years old.

Kith and kin arrangements - a term describing non-formal child care arrangements that typically are associated with placing a child in the care of family members (other than the parents) or with friends or neighbors. These are generally unregulated.

Licensed Exempt Child Care (LECC) - generally family or friends of those seeking care for their children who are recognized by the state of Vermont in this capacity to allow the parent(s) to receive a child care subsidy. LECC's can legally provide care for children from no more than two families.

Livable wage - a wage that pays a hourly/annual income necessary to cover basic needs plus all relevant Federal and State taxes.

Non-traditional shifts - work shifts that are not the typical 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. workday. These may include evenings, night shifts, mixed shift, and weekends.

Poverty level - According to the U.S. Census, determined using a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is poor. If a family's total income is less than that family's threshold, then that family, and every individual in it, is considered poor.

Preschoolers - for the purposes of this study, refer to all children aged three to five years old.

Regional centers - the densely developed areas in and adjacent to Brattleboro and Bellows Falls, fully served by a range of services.

Regulated child care system - all licensed child care centers, licensed and registered family child care homes, regulated by the Vermont Agency of Human Services Child Care Services Division and, for the purposes of this study, include all regulated facilities located in Windham County.

References

Colker, L.J. and S. Dewees. Child Care for Welfare Participants in Rural Areas.

Kretzmann, John P. and John L. McKnight. Building Communities from the Inside Out - A Path Toward Finding and Mobilizing a Community's Assets. 1993.

The Peace and Justice Center. The Vermont Job Gap Study. 1998. (www.vtlivablewage.org/jobgapstudy.html)

Town of Brattleboro School District Early Education Services. Welcome Babies . 2001.

United States Census . 1990, 2000.

United States Department of Education. 1999 National Household Education Survey , unpublished tabulations. National Center for Education Statistics.

United States Department of Labor. Care Around the Clock. 1995. Women's Bureau.

United Way of Windham County. Community Assessment Project, Windham County, Vermont. April 2002.

Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility. Child Care: An Escalating Business Issue. 2001.

Vermont Business Magazine. Top 10 Employers.

Vermont Child Care Services Division. Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates. 2001. (www.state.vt.us/srs/childcare/marketsurvey.pdf)

Vermont Department of Employment & Training. Vermont Employment Projections To Year 2005. August 1995. Labor Market Information Section.

Vermont Department of Employment & Training. Vermont - An Economic-Demographic Profile Series. 2001.

Vermont Department of Employment & Training. State of Vermont 2000 Employment and Wages. 2001.

Vermont Department of Social Rehabilitation Services. Licensed Day Care Facilities. 2001.

Windham Child Care Association. Licensed and Registered Child Care in Windham County. 2001.

Windham Child Care Association. Family Child Care Openings as of October 2001.

Windham Child Care Association. 1999 Report of the Joint Legislative Study Committee on a Livable Income. 1999.

Windham Regional Commission. Windham Regional Plan. WRC. 2001.

http://ccic.org/ccpartnerships/resourc.html

http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/isp/ancillary/CHCARE.html

Endnotes

1 The list of licensed centers and registered homes was reviewed over the course of this project and confirmed and updated in conjunction with the Windham Child Care Association and the Springfield Area Parent Child Center.

2 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division

3 The U.S Census defines a family as a group of two people or more (one of whom is the householder) related by birth, marriage, or adoption and residing together; all such people (including related subfamily members) are considered as members of one family.

4 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division.

5 Covered Employment refers to employees and their wages in firms subject to the Vermont Unemployment Compensation Law, or for federal employees, the Federal Unemployment Compensation Law.

6 D denotes data that cannot be disclosed.

7 Vermont: An Economic-Demographic Profile Series, 2001. Vermont Department of Employment and Training.

8 In 2000 inflation adjusted dollars.

9 The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of money income thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is poor. If a family's total income is less than that family's threshold, then that family, and every individual in it, is considered poor.

10 The Vermont Job Gap Study, 1998. The Peace and Justice Center

11 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division.

12 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division

13 Child Care for Welfare Participants in Rural Areas, L.J. Colker and S. Dewees

14 LECCs can legally provide care for children from no more than two families.

15 These figures are based on estimated county populations (by single year of age) and estimated participation rates (by single year of age). Sources: AHS and Department of Education, 1999. See Appendix for details and chart.

16 This represents estimated capacity in 42 child care centers and 46 family child care homes. Capacity for licensed centers in the county is an estimate based on phone conversations with center staff and directors. This number only represents the total capacity of infant/toddler slots (0-2 years) and preschool slots (3-5 years). It does not include school-age slots or after-school programs. The capacity for registered family child care homes is based on the maximum, as outlined in state regulations, of two children under the age of two (infants and toddlers) and four preschoolers. It does not include the allowed maximum of four school-age children, for comparison purposes. It should be noted that many homes do not serve infants and toddlers.

17 The estimated number of openings for licensed centers in the county are based on phone conversations with center directors. Centers generally maintain their own waiting lists. Windham Child Care Association provided the estimated number of openings for registered family child care homes.

18 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division

19 Community Assessment Project, Windham County, Vermont, 2002. United Way of Windham County

20 Vermont Child Care: A Study of Wages, Credentials, Benefits and Market Rates, 2001. Vermont Child Care Services Division

21 Child Care for Welfare Participants in Rural Areas, L.J. Colker and S. Dewees

22 Child Care for Welfare Participants in Rural Areas, L.J. Colker and S. Dewees