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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 4th 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.”
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