The Lack of Affordable Childcare in Mississippi  

Mississippi is home to many working class families.  Along the Gulf Coast these working families are struggling, because the wages they earn do not afford them childcare.  Even those that can afford childcare cannot find a childcare facility accepting children, especially infants.  These families add their name to waiting lists, but while those lists grow so do the number of children that are left home alone while parents work.

For many Casino workers and other overnight employees finding childcare is an even greater challenge.  Biloxi and Gulfport is currently serviced by one 24 hour childcare facility.  However, according to Owner, Eileen Skaines of the “Watch Me Grow,” 24 hour childcare center this service is being discontinued.  Beginning August 4^th their hours are changing, they are forced to close at 7pm because they do not have the staff to stay open any later.  The new hours at “Watch Me Grow” and lack of other alternatives for these workers present hardships and these hardships rest on the shoulders of our community’s youngest members, children, many who will now be left home alone. 

According to Sharon Hanshaw, Director of a local non-profit, Coastal Women for Change believes that the cost of childcare, the waiting lists and the availability of 24 hour care has a community solution. Coastal Women for Change is taking action to build the social economy and ensure that all children have not only a place to go, but a place to go and learn. 

Building the social economy means working from inside the community out; CWC is not negotiating with daycare centers to reduce their prices, open their waiting lists or extend their hours.  Instead CWC is working with at-home caregivers, many of whom were babysitters.  CWC is drawing on the skills of these at-home caregiver/babysitters and expanding their capacity by providing them with training in early childhood development, creative learning strategies including outdoors and science oriented teachings, First Aid/CPR, Family Guidance and Program Management.  This training will enable the caregivers to become certified to have in-home day care learning centers where children are not babysat instead they receive care while also learning. 

Currently CWC has 6 caregivers, 4 caregivers are going through the certification classes, 2 have earned their certification.  According to caregiver, Essie Mitchell, “If it was not for CWC I would not be taking classes and getting certified to be able to earn a living.” 

Not only is CWC expanding the capacity of the caregivers but they are also subsidizing the costs of childcare for working families.  Children as young as 3 months qualify for CWC childcare with an at-home caregiver in the program.  Sharon Hanshaw says “re-building community means taking care of our youth and taking care of the people rearing them, whether it be their parents or their support network of caregivers.”  Through this program children are enriched in learning centers, their parents are given an affordable solution to the childcare problem and the caregivers are given resources to build their own home business, everyone in the community wins when you work from the inside out.”