Draft Recommendation to prioritize families and ECE workers in anti-displacement planning (Item 2bv) — original pdf

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BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Early Childhood Council 20220412-2bv: Recommendation to prioritize early childhood education workforce and families with young children in City anti-displacement planning WHEREAS, the City of Austin Anti-Displacement Task Force was created and charged with setting metrics and goals, and giving preliminary recommendations for displacement prevention; and WHEREAS, for families in Austin, child care is the second highest cost behind housingi, and lack of access to affordable child care was one of the top barriers to workforce participation; and WHEREAS, in Austin/Travis County there are almost 32,000 children under age 6 living in households with low-income (approximately 200% of the federal poverty level), and 90% of children living in poverty are children of color –only 10% are non-Hispanic White; and WHEREAS, child care programs are experiencing an unprecedented staffing crisisii that is impacting child care access for families in Austin; including • 89% of programs surveyed have experienced difficulty hiring staff in the past six months (95% of programs that accept child care subsidies) • 75% of programs surveyed report current staff vacancies • 56% of these programs are under-enrolled due to staffing shortages and 43% are limiting hours as a result WHEREAS, according to the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, the median wage for child care programs in Texas is $10.14/houriii and the City of Austin living wage is $15; WHEREAS, in Texas, compared to all workers in all other sectors with similar demographic characteristics (e.g. gender, race/ethnicity, education) child care workers earn 19.2% less than other sectors; and WHEREAS, national data indicates that the predominately female (94%) early care and education workforce is more racially and linguistically diverse than K-12 teachers. People of color comprise 40% of early care and education professionals, and 22% are foreign born;iv and WHEREAS, local child care programs cannot increase wages without increasing the cost of care for families which disproportionately impacts families with low-income who have the least ability to pay for child care; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Early Childhood Council recommends that the City of Austin Anti-Displacement Task Force prioritize families with young children living in low-income households, and the early childhood education workforce, in anti-displacement efforts, especially in • Preserving and expanding the supply of affordable housing • Preserving and growing small businesses and cultural assets • Controlling land for community development • Income and asset creation by providing needed services - childcare, transportation, a basic retail sector, access to health care, and employment opportunities - as a precondition for success Date of Approval: _____________________________ Record of the vote: _____________________________ Attest: _____________________________________________ i https://data.austintexas.gov/stories/s/rt9q-qkym ii Attachment: Child Care Staffing Pulse Survey iii https://cscce.berkeley.edu/workforce-index-2020/states/texas/ iv https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/the-early-care-and-education-workforce.aspx