How childcare providers are adjusting to high U.S. inflation
The childcare industry has faced obstacles like staffing shortages and a severe lack of resources since the start of the pandemic. With inflation in the U.S. at a record high, those in the childcare industry have had to adapt to the rising cost of running their establishments.
Family-run childcare centers have had to adjust, especially given lack of funding. As inflation drives prices up, family-run childcare center owners like Rosa Bobadilla have had to pay for necessary supplies like food and sanitation products out of pocket to avoid upping their rates.
"There hasn't been an increase in rates and fees, and parents can't afford to pay what the true cost of childcare is," said Bobadilla.
The Bobadilla Family Childcare center cares for 14 children on average, making them a larger family-run facility. The Bobadilla Family Childcare Center mostly serves low-income families who cannot pay what Bobadilla calls "the true cost of childcare." This puts the center in a deficit as they try to make up the difference as they adhere to the regional market rate of childcare.
Riverside County has provided financial aid for childcare providers, but Bobadilla's family-run center and others similar to her have received an amount that does not equate to the suggested market rate shown below:
"The state and county have millions and millions of dollars coming in, but when it trickles down, family childcare doesn't see much of it," said Bobadilla.
Bobadilla and about 50 other childcare providers have banded together in an attempt to privately fund their centers.
“We're slowly trying to figure out ways to fund ourselves, meaning through private parties. We're trying to launch a campaign within our own network to promote early childhood education, quality care, quality pay, and, hopefully, we'll get some interest from private parties," said Bobadilla.
