By Christine Root
As Ashley Griffith leaves 2-year-old son Tre for the day, he snuggles into Kandace Nuckolls’ lap.
"I used to worry that I would leave him screaming for me when I dropped him off," said Griffith, a single mother. "It helps me go to work without worrying about him."
Nuckolls is one of the many daycare workers at the YMCA in the Bellis Fair Mall.
"Some parents drop off their children at 7 a.m. and pick them up at 6 p.m.," Nuckolls said. "That means I spend more waking hours with their children then they do."
The trend toward putting children in child-care centers shows no sign of abating. Every day 29 million American children go to daycare, according to the 1998 Kids Count Report– a report regarded as America’s most accurate and comprehensive measurement of children’s health and welfare.
In Whatcom County, about 3,000 children are in child care, said Wilanne Ollila-Perry, manager of child-care services at the Opportunity Council.
Child-care center owners and workers say society undervalues their job– both in pay and recognition.
In Whatcom County, child-care workers can earn anywhere from $2 to $18 per hour, said Ollila Perry. The average wage is $5.50, she said, the equivalent of one pair of Sheer Energy control-top pantyhose, a box of cat litter or a Cruisin Coffee caramel-latte shake— items bought daily without hesitation.
"It’s discouraging when more and more workers are getting bachelor’s degrees in elementary education or associate's degrees in early childhood education, but can’t boost their earnings," Ollila-Perry said.
A report by the University of Washington indicates that early childhood educators in the state of Washington earn 25 percent less than school teachers. At the same time, child-care bills costs parents an average 20 percent of after-tax wages per child, the report said.
In Whatcom County, parents pay an average of $400 a month in child-care costs per child, Ollila-Perry said.
But that money isn't all wages. It often goes to other things such as building, equipment and food costs for the children, child-care workers said.
In May 1996 Whatcom day-care workers joined dozens of others across the state to promote their vital child-rearing role and to lobby for better wages, medical benefits and paid vacation.
Politicians, including former Gov. Mike Lowry, "job shadowed" the workers for part of "Worthy Wage Day." In Bellingham, Mayor Mark Asmundson, state Sen. Harriet Spanel, D-Bellingham, and state Rep. Kelli Linville, D-Bellingham, visited day-care operations.
Gina Griffin, site director at the Whatcom Family YMCA on State Street, says society must recognize the workers’ crucial contribution in raising the next generation of adults. People should also question who is raising today’s children,.
"Daycare is a home away from home for children. I am like a second mom to the children and do everything a parent would do," Griffin said.
Despite the large role child-care workers have in the child-rearing process, many parents unfortunately are not willing to pay much money for their services, said Renee Reece, child-care resource and referral representative at the Opportunity Council.
"What people are willing to pay, especially those with average incomes, is not that high," Reece said. "Parents are not willing to pay $1,000 a month to have someone watch their child."
Cindy Curtis, a Hexcel employee says she can't afford $1,000 per month for child-care."It’s not that I don’t think the child-care workers deserve that much, it’s just that my work income makes it inconceivable," she said. "If I payed that much, I wouldn’t be able to buy food for my family, pay my car payment or even pay for my phone bill."
Many parents take their children to unlicensed day-care centers overseen by friends or neighbors in the fact that because they provide the cheapest, most readily available care. In Whatcom County it is estimated that for every two licensed daycare facilities there is one unlicensed, according to the Opportunity Council.
"Many unlicensed home-care facilities charge half the monthly rate of a licensed daycare which draws many parents to hand over their children willingly," Ollila-Perry said. "What scares me, however, is that these people do not even have the basic training of how to meet and satisfy these childrens’ emotional and safety needs to ensure their well being."
The Families and Work Institute says recent research on the relationship between early childhood experiences and brain circuitry shows that early experiences have an impact on how children learn. "Warm and responsive relationships" are critical factors to children’s development, according to the institute's president and co-founder Ellen Galinsky.
Low pay and lack of benefits result in the 40 percent annual turnover rate in the nations 3 million daycare jobs, according to the 1998 Kids Count Report.
This high turnover rate can be harmful to young childrens’ well-being by reducing their sense of security.
Bright Beginnings in Ferndale, however, doesn't have a high turnover rate.
When Robin Martinez set up Bright Beginnings, she provided medical benefits, vacation and sick time for her full-time employees, benefits rarely given to child-care workers.
Employees are happy, Martinez said. "I wanted them to have the things I didn’t have when I started."
As child care-directors take their own steps to hire, keep and value qualified workers, they also want the public and lawmakers to take other steps.
For example, Griffin said the state Department of Social and Health Services should do more inspections of child-care sites.
And state regulations should require a higher ratio of teachers per children and a greater amount of space for children, she said.
Centers could offer better care if they received support from businesses to cover the costs parents can’t afford, Martinez said.
The extra money could cover medical insurance or ongoing courses like First Aid or cardiopulmonary resuscitation, she said.
"We’re raising these children who will eventually become our future leaders," Griffin said. "This is a tremendous responsibility.