On education and Child Development will start.
I have the pleasure of being the vice chair of this
beautiful committee and I will be chairing. Uh today's
subject matter hearing. So the committee uh will be here on
the subject matter here and today, but first obviously
we're going to start off with a roll call. Uh, Vice chair,
Clay is present. Alder, person Desmond, Yancey present,
Alder person will call
Alder person, Anthony field.
Alder person, Peter Chico
Alderwoman Nicole Lee.
Alder person. Marty Quinn.
Alder person Halo Gutierrez.
Alder person. Stephanie Coleman.
Alder person me.
Alder person, Jessica Fuentes.
Alder person. Chris Talya Ferro.
Alder person Rosana Rodriguez.
All the person James Gardner.
There are.
No, no, no. There are 8 members present. We have quorum.
Pursuant to rule 59 older person, James Gardner, William
Hall and Stephanie Coleman along with alderwoman Janette.
Taylor have requested to be virtual. Are there any?
Are there any non-members present?
Alderwoman Cruise all the person Vasquez.
All the person more.
All the person met Martin.
All the person.
Can I get a motion to approve? The rule 59 to allow, Alder,
people Gardner, Hall Coleman and Taylor to be remote.
So moved by all the person Fuentes.
Can I get a second?
Thank you all in favor.
All opposed.
We in there.
Okay, at this time we will begin public comment. The period
is limited to 30 minutes out of respect for everyone's
Time. Each speaker is limited to 3 minutes.
Our first speaker is going to be Tanisha flowers.
Tanisha flowers. If you could make your way up to the
front.
We've got a microphone for you.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Um, hi. My name is Tanisha, flowers. I work for SEIU for
child care and Home Care as a home care, a in child care
aide. And we're here today because we need to fight because
we're not getting the money. We need we're not getting the
respect we need for our child care. Cuz when child, when
people are out here with their kids and the kids is
looking, they have nobody out here. So we're trying to
fight for the money in the rights, we have to be in child
care.
We fighting for a lot of things because these children
don't know a lot. They, they just go in somewhere and they
like, oh, okay, we need to fight for more
More Money. More benefits paid time off. Respect.
They don't respect us because they think we just something.
We get much respect in arguing.
As a child care is, child care for all. We care about our
children, just as much as everybody else do out here. Child
care for all. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment. Our next speaker is going to be
Richard casho, Richard casho.
Hello, thank you. My name is Richard Castro. I work for
Chicago, Commons. And the reason I'm up here today is I
want to make sure that we try to we get child care for all
and keep things moving and not having to close our settings
like this. Going around the city access today.
And classrooms. We want to make sure we have enough room
for all of our room for everybody.
not just for,
Workers that can afford it, but for workers that need help
and that's why we're asking them for. You guys has helped
to help us support our families and our children in today's
society because with our children in today's society, are
you guys tomorrow and above and beyond? And that's why we
need to keep child care for all for everybody in Chicago.
Thank you for your time and thank you for coming out.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is going to be
Deborah Murphy.
Good afternoon. I'm Deborah Murphy home, child care,
provider, and
Everybody deserves decent child care.
Good child care, everyone can afford, Child Care. Everyone
needs a basic education knowledge. We are these kids future
and if we don't give it to them, they won't get it. Come on
y'all. Let's do some common sense here.
Child care for all is really needed. Parents, shouldn't
have to worry about. Should I pay my rent? Should I pay my
life bill or should I pay child care? Or can I go to work?
I can't afford to work because I can't afford to leave my
kids here and leave them for the world to get them. So I
peed up, I'm always teed up when it come to these kids. And
so, it's up to everybody in here and out there. It's up to
all of us to make it right for these kids, our future.
Cuz y'all not gonna be here forever. I'm not gonna be here
forever so it's up to us to train them in the right way. So
they can be in your spot so they can take my spot here.
God bless you.
Thank you for your comments. Our next speaker is going to
be Paula Hickman.
Good afternoon.
Uh, thank you for giving me a chance to speak. Um, my name
is Paula Hickman. I represent
All.
Child care workers that are in the city and also child care
workers that work outside of this city.
Child Care is equally important for everybody.
Children in the suburbs children in the city.
Oh, just like Mr. Deborah said, unfortunately, some people
struggle with day-to-day aspects. I'm wondering if they're
going to be able to get their children to school every day.
Uh, if I should be able to get money enough to pay for
Food.
For kids for anything.
I work for a 8 billion dollar company.
And they do not understand that. Oh,
We need funding. We need. We're low on staff.
Hey, let's make sure that the kids get into the classrooms.
Oh unfortunately, I'm going to have to Shell out money out
of my pocket because I need to make sure that these
children are getting everything that they need.
Child Care is so important.
I am in charge of these children. I am the line of defense.
I am with snotty noses scrapes and bruises.
Diarrhea.
We are the line of defense. We are their nurse. We are that
doctors
We want those wonderful, beautiful, bright minded and
beautiful. I children to be able to be where you are today.
Parents are not going to be able to do that. If we're not
able to get the funding for those parents, I'm 1 of those
parents that have to deal with the high cost.
I have 6 children, my younger 2 are the ones. I have to put
in daycare right now.
I can't do that. Unfortunately, I have to choose for them
to go to
Home Care.
Child care.
Yes, some of us are able to get somewhere and get money for
programs but there's still another co-pay for us to pay.
Weekly for some of these places.
Thank you for your time.
Thank you for your comment.
Our next speaker is going to be litzy curse call. I'm sorry
if I am mispronouncing your name.
Hi. Um my name is latty kusing. I am a parent as a parent.
I was, of course, looking for a unicorn perfect unicorn for
my child in the form of child care centers and childcare
providers within no time. I came to reality that
Affordable. Child care is a myth, it is just not affordable
to low-income or middle class community in the world's most
richest country.
Now.
in the first 2 months, in my child's uh, school, you know,
there were 3 teachers, so low retention rates, stressful
conditions and very low wages. Is not a sustainable model
for our country for our children.
Just 2022, census shows that Chicagoans with a bachelor's
degree. Made an average of 73000 per year or about 35
dollars per hour.
Another study 20 22 study on center-based Preschool.
Teachers with a bachelor's degree in headstart program
showed that they made as little or less than 21 dollars
maximum of $30 till much less than an average degree holder
in Chicago. So child care workers deserve a living wage
that would give them a basic quality of life.
City council must allocate a budget to create an enabling
environment for child care, workers to receive wages to
have a basic quality of life. So that they can in turn
build a quality based foundation for our children and our
society. You may know Perry preschool project in 1960s, it
has established that investment in Early Education,
increases labor income, reduces crime, and the cost of the
Criminal Justice System.
It is an investment in for the future of Chicago. Thank
you.
Thank you so much for your comments. Our next speaker is
Cecilia AEO.
Hello, good afternoon. My name is Cecilia, SEO. I am a
proud parent of 3 proud mexica. I also love to add, um, I'm
here. Speaking on the behalf of parents, not only do I know
how hard it is to find child.
Childcare to afford Child Care. Um,
I didn't realize that when my third child came along, that
it would be that much harder to find, child care and get
back to work. Um, and I know that that's something that
parents are facing every single day. You know, parents that
have fought really hard to get to their places of work to
earn their degrees to go to work and do the things that
they love. And because of the fact that our options are so
limited and so costly, many parents have to leave their
careers behind or have to make that choice.
To not work and stay home because there's not enough hours
in the day to go through all the different drop offs and
Pickups, um, not enough money in the bank account, to be
able to afford, um, child care costs.
And I think a lot of parents also understand, um, that
experience of low wages and having to make decisions. And
that's why we really stand behind child care for all and
prioritizing good wages for the essential Workforce, that
our communities really need. Um, and so, I stand here with
the spirit of many other people that have not been that
were not able to join us today. Um, because of work because
of sick kids, because their school closed down because of
electrical issues, for example. Um, so there's a lot of
different obstacles that parents are facing, but child care
in the city of Chicago, where we have the potential
Tool to really uplift our community needs and really invest
in our children's future. That should not be a crisis here
in the city of Chicago. So I'm here today to ask that, we
really put money to support the wages of our workers,
providing this essential service. Um so more parents can
get back to work and help um you know,
meet their needs, their families needs. Um, we know the
cost of living is outrageous for anyone, um, but a special
for working families that need child care. So let's invest
in child care and make sure that, um, this city can be
great for all workers and for all families. Thank you,
thank you for your comments.
Our next speaker is Crystal Peters.
Healthy wealthy day, everyone. Thank you for letting me
speak. Um, gratitude for city council. Um, I am here today,
Piggy, backing off with Cecilia said, I'm standing here for
the thousands of parents who would love to be here to
Advocate and
To demand that city council invest in child care. It should
not be that Child Care Specialists, who take care of our
children's bruises, and bumps and teaches them. It should
not be that they can't afford to live. It should not be
that they can't, uh, afford to get a massage or do
something extracurricular to digress.
from the hard job that they have, the challenging job that
they have with raising help raising children. Child Care
is, is not a just a babysitter Child Care. Is the backbone
of the working force. We live in a day and age where men
and women have to work families have children, right? And
they need to know that there while they're working making a
living that their children are covered. We just don't need
to investment in child care. Just of, especially for the
child care providers to get paid a living wage. We need
investment in child care. So when parents go to work, they
can be secure that their child is being taken care of. So
it's about not only child care, but quality, Child Care,
high quality child care. We are a very vast and and and
and, and Rich City, I believe as a Chicago went. So Child.
Care should not be a crisis here, right? We all,
Know that I can give you all kind of Statistics but you all
sit here and we all know the statistics. So now our plea is
that we figure this out, you have the power to do it, power
is the ability to define a phenomenon and make it act in a
desired manner, the phenomenon that child care needs
investment. And the, we need to act the desired manner that
we want is investment in child care. City council has the
power to
To do it. We brought the people out. And trust me, I talked
to 60 parents, I am an organizer with workers Center, for
racial Justice. And I talked to parents all day every day
and they can't make it. So I make it to where I can come
and stand for them. It should not be oh, packed the room.
So they'll know, you know, you know, and we need to figure
it out. We are here to help you so figure it out. Thank
you, thank you for your comments.
Our next speaker is Claudette sewn.
Hi. My name is CLA. Tarpon.
I'm a Chaka exam Provider from Colin city. Um I'm here
because I did went to school.
Got a master's degree. I'm a bachelor's degree.
But I decided to do child care because my kids also went to
abuse.
When they were younger and I said, I'm not going to allow
my grand kids to go through the same thing. So I was like,
okay, you know what, I need to go to school, so I can get a
better job because everything here in Chicago is really
expensive. It's high.
But I got to make that sacrifice to diverse from my career
to make sure that my grandkids get the best, right? Um we
are Educators, we are not babysitters. We need you guys to
put our respect on our names.
We are Educators because you have to remember that these
kids come to us. First, we got to prepare them for them to
go transition to pre-k to kindergarten. So put our respect
on our name. We're not babysitters, we need, we need more
money.
You know, we need pay time off. We need path, retirement.
We need everything. The same thing that you guys get. We
need it too.
Right? Because these kids come to us.
In order for them, not for you guys to go to work.
We we had a we had a child care providers that take care of
of these kids. You guys trust, you guys trust your kids
with us. So take care of these kids. So our mental state
Right? We got to be prep mental state, you know, to take
care of these kids. So put our respect on our name. We're
not babysitters. We are Educators. Thank you.
Thank you for your comments.
Our next speaker is Bea scosa.
Hello everyone. My name is Bea kurusa. I represent, Child
Care, Advocates, United and I also own a daycare center in
McKinley Park. Um,
I know we've talked to some of you in the past, um,
I wanted to First address a couple of things. Um, there are
a total of 71 roughly 71,000 daycare, or preschool and
childcare slots in the city of Chicago.
Of those. Um,
55,000 are a child care centers and only 17,000 are at the
CPS. However, um, the state funds preschool and preschool
fall, uh, prevention initiative in the city of Chicago. Um,
through a black Grant in that black Grant, it's 371 million
of that 371 million cbos, only get 27%
But they are tasked with represent with funding and taking
care of children that are from birth. All the way to age 5
versus CPS. That's only required to take care of 3 4 and 5
year olds.
Where is why is that such a big discrepancy? Why do daycare
centers and private providers, only get 27% when they are
supposed to support so many more children and so many more
families.
That is something that the city council can change. We've
asked for this subject matter Hearing in the past, to look
at that black rent. Why the discrepancy? Why do we have to
provide so much more care and get so much less money?
um,
in addition to that, I also wanted to talk a little bit
about the negative effects of providing, mostly child care
and preschool through CPS other cities and other states,
have done it. And there's a lot of findings and we're just
at the beginning of it. However, in New York City, for
example,
Child Care, especially infant. And toddler care is very
hard to come by, because a lot of 3 and 4 year olds went to
public schools. So infinite toddler care is very hard to
come by.
All of the families that are leaving almost 50% of the
families that leave New York City are leaving because of
unaffordable Child Care, unaffordable infant and toddler
care. Because when CPS only takes care of 3 4 and 5 year
olds, and we're left daycare centers are only left with
taking care of infants and toddlers. The cost is so much
higher for taking care of infant titers. You need 4
Teachers for every 12 infants versus 20 to 25. Uh, students
for 2 teachers.
I know, I remember last year when you guys had a subject
matter hearing someone had 1 of you guys had said, why not?
Just put the 3 year olds into CPS, because then what's the
daycare centers? They're going to be only left with infants
and toddlers and who's going to pay for that?
So you know, we definitely need to revisit how we're
administering that black Grant. There's an RFP that's going
to be take going out very soon. So not only you guys but us
all together. Need to look at how that money is being
administered and who's getting the money.
Thank you, thank you for your comments.
Our next speaker is Samara Fair.
Hello. Thank you so much for allowing me to speak today. I
would like to piggyback off of my colleague beate
Um, we talked about the 27% that is allocated to Community
Based organizations through the black Grant.
We are urging city, council to expand that percentage to
45% and expand the partnership between CPS and make it a
real partnership and not a competition. So that our
children can really thrive in smaller environments with
smaller ratios higher teacher,
Teacher student ratios as they do in child care facilities.
Now I am coming up on
my 40th year, in child care.
And I've seen the evolution of child care. Expand from
From from teachers who did not have degrees but were
passionate enough to take children to excellent levels and
put them into to. Um let me put this down for a second and
put them into
higher quality educational facilities that were after
preschool. Now to this day, my 30 and 40 year old teachers,
and I say 30 or 40, they're not 30, 40, they're 30 and 40
years in the game, right? And they are producing.
Students at academic levels that pale that excel in
comparison to my degree teachers. Why do I say that?
Because all of our efforts, not all of them, but a lot of
our efforts that have increased quality has diminished.
What we got into child care for we are in child care to
make sure that our children are doing excellent, in
academics and in Social, they're socialized. So in
conclusion the expansion,
Of preschool, education.
Solely within the public schools is risking and excluding
families with actual parent choice. I've heard a lot of
parents here. Say they want a real Choice. Well,
If we exclude community-based organizations, are we really
giving them a real choice?
I ask you, are we?
So in conclusion, again, we ask that you expand the 27% to
45% and stop the competition and make this a real
collaboration. Thank you.
Thank you for your comment.
Our next speaker is Mariah Teresa.
And I don't want to screw up your last name, honey. So I
hope you hear
Maria. Theresa,
Okay, our next speaker is going to be Kenneth Newman.
Oh, good afternoon alderman.
Chairman Taylor.
Vice chair.
Uh, I am well aware of the issues of child care across the
city while there's not my main subject, there's no doubt
that child care is very important and that there are lots
of family struggling because of child care.
I lived in Miami 15 years where they created a tax and an
organization called the children's Trust.
And that created a whole lot of opportunity to re for
Revenue to help child care and in South Florida. So, I
advise you to take a look at what the children's trust
created in Miami and how it's doing. It may not be perfect
but I it did a lot of good down there. It was created like
almost 20 like 20 years ago. Meanwhile, I would love to see
this
Committee. Take a more active role in making sure that CPS
has the athletic facilities. So we don't have the juvenile
delinquency that we have. There are so many schools across
the city that don't have equal access to a 400 meter track,
an artificial, turf field, and it stretches in all areas.
We have Athletic, Facility deserts, on the southwest side,
on the northeast side, on the northwest side, on the
Southeast side, central part of the city, there are
enormous number of places schools, that have to travel up
to 5 miles to run on a track. Whether it's
Washington High School in the 10th Ward.
Whether it's Kennedy High School next door to Wentworth
Park. There's no track near there. Matthew High School,
needs a track, and a 400 400 meter track and artificial
turf field and Method Park.
Sullivan. High School is an orphan. Its closest location is
Warren Park to build a 400 meter track. Cury high school
has empty land next to it dyett. High School in Washington
Park, desperately needs a 400 meter track and artificial
turf field. All of these schools and there are many others.
All are orphans when it comes to athletic facilities. You
want to every time you build a 400 meter track and an
artificial turf field. You probably take 200 kids away from
juvenile delinquency.
And we also starting to develop the athletic talent that
Chicago used to send lots of people to the Olympics. We're
not creating Olympians anymore, like we did 75 or 100 years
ago,
So, we've definitely need to build more athletic facilities
facilities, and please convince the mayor of this because
he doesn't understand it because he didn't grow up here.
That those who don't know, I mean, mayor grew up in Elgen,
he doesn't know the city.
So for those of us that are natives and know the city,
please build the athletic facilities, we will stop juvenile
delinquency. We will have a better safer City and develop
athletic Talent. Thank you. Thank
Our next speaker is Murray cook.
Marie cook.
Our next speaker is Kaya Jackson.
Our next speaker is Doris Lewis.
I hope the city council members are listening to
the residents in here.
As a teacher for 37 years which is Chicago public
exclusive, I understand perfectly what they're talking
about.
I understand how important this is to have a a low teacher
student ratio.
I hope you are listening. You cannot continue to sit down
here and pass policies.
To help illegal people and fail to help the citizens of the
city of Chicago.
You cannot continue to do this. It's your policies that are
hurting us here. In this city, the legal citizens of the
city of Chicago.
And that brings me to this.
It is your policies.
Your policies that created this kind of
Fine by this rich white man. Who put this sign up all over
High Park.
Black people hating on immigrants.
This is when he's using his money to do.
Why this is Gerald Ward?
We've called on you to do the right thing down here and you
you have not done it. We've been down here. So many times,
I do what I do because I love this city. I love this
country. It is my country. My people built it, but for you
all to sit here and do what you do and pass these
ordinances and these laws to help everybody, but the
citizens of Chicago, you cannot continue to do it.
These people are doing a tremendous job in terms of taking
care of our babies.
They deserve pay.
But at the same time, we have got to protect black
children, the black community that's being harassed. This
is an anti-hate black black black crime.
For this man to put up something like this all over High
Park, not, you know, people come to High Park from all over
the city.
So this is affecting black people all over this city. You
have put a mark on our backs.
where I live, the people are afraid to come out of their
homes because of the things that you all are doing down
here,
I'm not afraid I'm going to walk. There's a migrant shelter
right across the street from me.
People walking around with anchor bracelets. Oh Lord knows.
knows. It's prostitution. We have to I'm going to speak up
for my people and black Alderman. You have a responsibility
down here to speak up for your people, to protect your
people.
You have that responsibility, all of you all them. And the
people who you are representing, you have a responsibility
to listen to them but you all don't listen.
I'm a little less calmer now than I was earlier.
But I take this very seriously.
Do the right thing by the citizens of Chicago.
This is a hate crime.
Thank you so much for your comments that concludes our
public comment section. I want to make sure that I
recognize all of the non-members in the room because I was
making sure that I got you. Bye and see you, Joe Lopez,
ottoman Vasquez, Alderman, Moore Alderman, Martin Alderman,
Bernette Alderman Talya, Ferro Mosley, and Nan.
In Rodriguez. But we gonna deal with that, too. We gonna
deal with our first order of business is a motion to
approve, the rule 45 report, can I get a motion to approve
the
so moved by Alderman, Quinn. Can I get a second motion?
It is the same thing.
Sergeant at Arms.
And I do appreciate everybody's patience. 30 minutes is the
time allotted for public comment.
Sergeant-at-arms can I get a little assistance, please.
I just I just needed to sit down.
I would like to remind everybody about the Quorum. This is
a serious subject matter hearing.
Okay. Sergeant-at-arms, please.
Sergeant-at-arms.
Y'all.
everybody for your patience.
We're going to get. We have a motion now.
I can see my child in almost 2 years. Older person. Talia
Farrell has made a motion to approve. The rule 45 report.
Can I get a second?
All in favor.
All opposed, so move.
Because it's wrong. In the opinion of the chair, the eyes
have it.
Next, we will hear from Erica Bland and her team about
child care for all. Please take a moment. Take a deep
breath. And whenever you're ready, please get started.
Good afternoon, chairwoman clay and members of the
committee. My name is Erica Bland and I just need
I'm giving us a 5 minute recess. We will reconvene at
12:47.
All right, everyone, it is 12:47.
We will continue with our subject matter hearing on child
care for all.
Just want to say, thanks everybody for your patience.
And can I get a, do I need a motion to get back? Can I get
a motion to move us back into session?
So moved, can I can I get a second? Do I need a second? I'm
a good. Okay, we back in session. Y'all everybody's here.
Okay um we are going to get started with Miss Erica. Bland
to address us on childcare for all. All right, good
afternoon, chairwoman Taylor, Vice chair, clay and members
of the committee. My name is Erica Bland and I have the
honor of serving as Executive Vice President of SEIU
Healthcare Illinois, Indiana, where, uh, we proudly
represent 35,000 child care workers in the state of
Illinois. And we have more than 50,000 members who work in
Industries, like hospitals, Home Care, nursing homes. Many
of whom are also parents who depend upon Child Care having
access to child care, is a building block for thriving
communities. Research has shown that quality child, care
and early learning supports children's development, setting
them up for greater success in life.
And in school, stable and reliable Child Care. Also, enables
parents, the ability to go to work and increases their
ability to have economic stability and well-being, we hear
we hear from our members often every day about the broken
child care system and its effects on their families and
communities.
As parents our members talk about their struggle with the
ability to find affordable, child care, and their
frustrations. As they see, Child Care classrooms clothes
and programs around them.
As well as watching this crisis and the shortage get worse.
We hear from Child Care Center workers and family. Child
care providers, who can't afford to support their families,
who are stressed and saddened by seeing the consequences of
turnover and understanding.
Many of whom ultimately and or reluctantly make the choice
to leave a job, they love.
When Action for Children surveyed, Cook County families and
about the families that they helped in 2022. Find child
care.
They found that more than 40% of those families. Either gave
up looking for child care or simply couldn't find it, which
is extremely unfortunate.
The lack of child care being available, has caused a
tremendous negative impact on our city and our state.
Due to families challenges to access and keep Child Care.
The negative impact that parents employment and earnings
and productivity has seen in Illinois. Has an estimated
impact of 4.9 billion dollars. I'm going to say that again,
4.9 billion dollars with a B each year, much of which has a
direct negative impact and could have benefited Chicago as
a city directly.
In 2021, we launched the child care for all campaign
alongside 9 of our Coalition partners that include the
Coalition for Spiritual and public leadership Kofi and
lassay the Grassroots collaborative hustle mommies Soul
women gathering for justice and the Worker Center for
racial Justice. We believe that child care is a right and
that it should be afforded as a public good similar to K
through 12. Public education. We are fighting for child,
care for all, not only in Illinois, but also here in the
city of Chicago.
And we believe that all families should have access to find
affordable, child care, and quality child care. And that
the workers that provide, this care should be allowed to
have good jobs. That pay a living wage, our Coalition will
organize and continue to fight for this. Until we
accomplish these goals because that's what working families
and the workers in this city deserve.
But we also know that we have a very broken child care
system and that we cannot solve this crisis overnight. We
see fixing this Workforce crisis as a crucial step.
To improving the child care system in Chicago.
Right now. Child care in the city of Chicago is
unfortunately 1 of the lowest paid jobs in this city.
Despite being arguably 1 of the most difficult and
important jobs in our city, for the future of our children.
Family child care, providers and Center workers, are still
struggling to support their families and that simply is not
right.
Childcare centers cannot afford to hire and maintain good
staff. So they are experiencing High. Turnover and many are
being forced to close. Their classroom doors centers are
understaffed and the instability and understaffing harms.
Our children, who are desperately in need of consistency,
and strong, and stable relationships with their teachers.
In order to thrive, there is a huge Child Care, shortage
and families need more child care, programs, and spaces in
their neighborhoods. But there aren't enough. People who
are willing to do this work, at the wages that are
currently being offered.
We need to fix this crisis, so we believe that we need to
start by first stopping the bleeding. We can't build our
system without first fixing the Broken Foundation to do
that. We believe that the city of Chicago should act now by
raising wages for child care center workers and making
these child care jobs, good jobs, in the city of Chicago.
So that child care programs can recruit and keep workers
that they need to stabilize these programs for the child
care that our children deserve
The state and federal government have an important role to
play in increasing funding for child care.
We have been fighting at the state level for years and will
continue to do. So, no level of government can solve this
crisis alone, but we in Chicago have a role to play, and if
we sit it out, the crisis will only worsen and our children
and our economy will be the ultimate losers.
It is clear that current levels of the federal and state
funding are not enough to dress this crisis alone and the
city has a role to play by investing in the future of this
Workforce. And in our babies, the workforce behind the
workforce are the child care providers.
Chicagoans need and deserve a better child care system and
we can't wait around for the state and the federal
government to fix these problems. Chicagoans want the city
to take action. So, it's time for Chicago to join other
local governments, around the country who have invested
local funds to improve, child care, and early learning for
their residents places like New York, which has invested in
bringing Preschool teachers and Community. Based programs
up to wage parity with their school-based Preschool.
Teachers,
Or like San Francisco, which has expanded access to child,
care to thousands of families and raise wages for child
care, workers, serving low-income kids to 28 dollars an
hour.
The list goes on Seattle, King County, and Washington, New
Orleans, or Allama county in California, and many others.
It's time for Chicago to do their part, to make sure that
investments in child care. Workforce in this Fall's budget,
can start to fix the problems that we have. The crisis is
here at our doorsteps today and we have an opportunity to
start to fix the problem. It will only worsen if we don't
do our part my next problem. Or my next question is, how
many people on this panel have a child or is a parent?
Think about all the times that your child has had to
transition.
To go to daycare for the first time to go to the next grade
for the first time and meet that teacher, I am a parent.
Of a 8 year old, his name is miles miles does not adjust
well to change. So every time we meet a new teacher it is
very difficult for him.
What we are talking about is with turnover being so high.
Each child. In a classroom, they are experiencing that
transition of meeting a new teacher every time. So in 1
school year, some children are experiencing that transition
3 and 4 times.
I can't imagine what miles would have to go through after
meeting Miss Taylor or Miss clay and then having to meet
Miss Fuentes and then having to meet Miss Gutierrez and
then having to meet Miss Cruise, all in the span of 1
school year,
but that is what most children in this program are
experiencing
Because we cannot keep teachers because the wages are not
enough.
And the City of Chicago has an opportunity.
At its doorstep to do something about it today.
And that's what this program is about and that is what we
have an opportunity before us to do something about. And
the question is, what will we do something about it? Thank
you.
Good afternoon everyone. Um, firstly, thank you all for
allowing us to share our stories today. I know it was a lot
of Spirited.
Energy earlier. So you know thank you, thank you for your
patience. My name is Lakisha McFadden. I'm the CEO and
executive director at centers for New Horizon centers. For
New Horizon, we're a nonprofit community-based organization
located in the heart of Chicago southside particularly
Bronzeville.
We've been proudly serving the Bronzeville community and
other surrounding neighborhoods for over 50 years.
Our mission is to develop the capacities of individuals and
families to become self-reliant to improve the quality of
their lives and to participate in rebuilding their
community.
We strive to make a tangible difference in some of the most
disadvantaged neighborhoods. We do that through a variety
of services. Those services are Workforce Development,
violence, prevention Adult and Family Services and lastly
children services.
interestingly, when I was first hired at centers, almost 10
years ago, I was 1 of the 12 Preschool teachers
At the felis location on 43rd in Cottage Road, that Center
was built in 2008, designed and licensed to serve 150
families.
At that time the program alone served over 103 to 5 year
olds.
This summer now that I lead the organization, I had to make
the heartbreaking decision to close the facility.
As a parent. And a former Early Childhood teacher, I know
firsthand that every family deserves affordable and
accessible child care. Every Early Learning, teacher
deserves, a sustainable wage so that they don't need to
worry about their next paycheck.
Well, right now, child care in Chicago, is in a crisis.
Families. Can't afford care, and the staff are struggling.
Passionate and qualified Early Learning teachers, are
leaving this field in droz. They can't afford to stay. This
is forcing centers like mine to have to close.
I want to highlight the critical challenges that we faced
in the last 2 years with recruiting and retaining staff.
Particularly with the implementation of universal Pre-K
with that this has created a unintentional pipeline from
our centers directly to CPS.
So because of this, I say again that I've had to close the
entire facility. That's infants and tolerance and tools and
also the preschool part.
Before closing we gradually started closing classrooms. So
we did what people were suggesting just take off the
preschool rooms.
However, the problem with that is the building was
underutilized and costly to operate, it wasn't designed to
operate just a small sector of the building.
This has led to further Financial strain on my
organization. This is a state-of-the-art 2-story facility.
It's been a staple of the Bronzeville Community since 2008,
season operations, here means that we're not servicing 150
families. Those Early Learning slides are going to go
unfilled.
if we could secure additional funding, to raise the wages of
our staff, this situation could be mitigated higher wages
would not only help us attract and retain qualified
Personnel, but it would enhance the staff morale morale and
reduce the turnover.
This stability will allow us to reopen the center, continue
to serve as family and ultimately strengthen the fabric of
our neighborhood.
Our children deserve better.
The parents who rely on us deserve better?
The providers who have dedicated their lives to this field,
also deserve better.
The solutions to this crisis is to invest in the workers
who make our child care system possible. We need to raise
the wages for all so that the centers and classrooms can
continue to stay open.
I'm calling on the city to take immediate action, to
improve this child care compensation across the city by
investing in our Workforce. We can ensure that centers like
ours remain viable and continue to provide the essential
services for the families.
Fostering a supportive environment for the children's
growth and development, our organization, we are partnered
with the city. So we have Head Start and Early Head Start,
that's a free service.
Shutting those doors. It is not a it's not a situation that
is was the at the top of my list to do.
Like it's 150 families that are depending on us, to figure
this out.
So thank you for your time.
Good afternoon to everybody. Um,
I'm hoping that you guys are having a blessed day.
My name is constant plumber. I was born and raised in
Chicago. Um, me and my wife for 21 years have 6 kids ages,
6 months to 26 years of age. I'm a home care provider, and
I currently care for my mother.
I was taking care of my brother, um, before he passed away
in May of this year.
I began providing care for them. Well, before I was able to
get paid
Uh, I used to be a welder but I was forced to leave that
field.
Because the hours did not allow me to flexibility. I needed
with the to be there for my family.
When we were young parents, uh, we enrolled our oldest
daughter in daycare,
and she had a very scary choking incident that could have
ended tragedy, um, but it didn't.
This heavily affected, our trust in the safety and quality
of care.
For our kids.
But a parent's ability to to work relies on the
availability of child care.
It is impossible to pursue job opportunities without
adequate and affordable child care.
I have missed out on several jobs opportunities that I
really wanted.
But I had to pass them up because I didn't have affordable.
Child care for the working hours that were required.
It has been totally disheartening.
It hurts to know that it is so expensive and Out Of Reach.
For majority of the parents.
And I know that they agree and feel the same way.
Recently, I was searching for child care in the High Park
area and was given an estimate for 4 time. Infant toddler
care for, well, north of 000 a week, plus tuition and fees.
That's crazy.
I can never afford that.
We don't have that type of money. After living expenses, we
are already making sacrifices to make ends meet and not
having an affordable. Child care has meant missing a lot of
opportunities activities.
And income because we cannot afford the cost.
Now, you got some families are forced to leave young
siblings.
What older siblings and that's a risk because kids are
often distracted with their own entertainment. We all know
that,
Most are not equipped to take care of children and provide
meals and even teenagers are not always appropriate because
development and maturity can vary for reach.
We have felt helpless and hopeless.
But I was raised to do the right thing and I'm working
every day trying to provide for my family.
You would think that Working Families would have access to
child care as the most basic and obvious needs to have a
chance to work and provide for their families.
but most families like mine are in Desperate situations
having to make that choice between staying home and living
in poverty, or taking a job and possibly leaving their kids
and their potentially dangerous situation without adequate
supervision.
it said that we have to be in these circumstances, and that
we need to plead our cases to be able to work while
billionaires are hoarding wealth, and reaping, the benefits
of bailouts and tax cuts.
It doesn't matter what part of the city families live in.
I guarantee you child care is a need for all families.
Parents need trained adults.
Qualify people to take care of their children.
This why I'm here now urging you guys, you know, it starts
with the children, everything starts with your child.
Like, we need people in those positions to be paid
respectfully, you know, to take care of our children.
So they can move on to the next step.
and when you don't have that in place,
Well, you see what's going on in the city?
Right? And and people are like, that's the I'm telling you
personally, that's the worst decision that you have to make
when you're sitting here. Thinking I need to make money. I
need to provide for my kids. I need to put a roof over
their head.
That's what my job is. But, oh my god. Do I trust this
person to take care of my child? It could be so much
simpler.
To invest in child care and we have those in places to help
not. I'm I'm pretty sure a lot of people wake up.
and,
A happy a person that got their kid in child care. It's a,
it's a happy worker. I'm more productive, worker, they're
less stressed. So I'm urging you guys to to invest in that
that is much needed. Thank you.
Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Dena Barry.
And I am from the Kenwood neighborhood on the south side of
the city.
And I am a proud parent of 3. Amazing children 7, 10 and
16.
Over the years, it's been very difficult for me to find
child care that meets my needs and my family's needs.
When looking for child care, most parents would agree. It's
important to find a nice clean environment for your child
where you feel comfortable and confident that they are also
going to be taking care of and learn
When you have children with special needs like I do it
becomes even harder to find child care because you need to
make sure that the care is developmentally appropriate and
the staff are properly trained to work with children with
disabilities.
Every time I found care for my child, my children, it's
always it always started off with promises, but it didn't
seem to take long before I was getting phone calls for
early pickup. Sometimes 3 times a week. Sometimes they
would blame it on short staffing and others on training
resources.
It felt so overwhelming and upsetting having to leave work
meant short, being short, on money and having to make other
arrangements. I eventually had to pay someone out of pocket
for child care. Even though I was eligible for child care
assistance program,
Because I couldn't keep leaving work, early and settling
for centers that didn't meet our needs.
quality of care and training is still something I have to
worry about the
Many programs still do not have the trained staff and
support necessary to enroll my kids at 1 school, there was
a very caring and nurturing teacher that my kids loved
after she left it seemed that seemed like there was no 1
else that care for my 4 and and love my kids. So I took
them out.
My kids deserve to feel nurtured and loved like every other
child in our city.
Today, I am relying on a patchwork system, to make sure my
children are taking care of when I'm at work. No parent or
Guardian, should have to work this hard to make sure that
children are safe and taking care of while they're at work.
It's hard out there for parents to be able to find child
care. That alone pay for it. I'm here to urge you all to
really hear our stories. Take action on this issue.
We, as parents can, wait, any longer? We need to pay child
care workers a living wage. So we can find and train child
care workers as soon as the city.
We need child care for all. Thank you.
Hello.
My name is Doris Milton.
I'm proud to say that, I've been a head start teacher for
over 45 years.
I absolutely love what I do.
To me, there's nothing more important than making a
difference in the lives of children and their families.
We are not just educators.
We are working with entire families and we build
relationships that last a lifetime.
I'm teaching kids that I have taught their parents and
their grandparents
I've been to more weddings and funerals than anyone that I
know.
I have parents who call me still at night on video to get
their child to go to sleep.
Our jobs are essential but that's a big problem.
We don't get to pay. That is sufficient for us to live on.
That's why so many seasoned child care workers have left
the field.
They cannot make ends meet on wages. So low.
I can tell you.
That y'all care workers shortage is real.
The stress of trying to do your best for the children every
single day without enough staff.
It takes a toll.
People do not make the decision to leave this.
Slightly either my former co-workers have come to me crying
saying they love this job so much and they love these kids,
but they simply cannot afford.
Such a low pay and take care of their families.
It stresses us out every day.
When bills come in and we cannot pay them.
So, workers are leaving for jobs at large box, retailers or
fast, food restaurants and other industries, that pay
better.
For example.
In 2022, Chicago is with a bachelor degree made about 35
dollars and 10 cents per hour in the same year.
Center-based Preschool teachers with a bachelor's degree in
headstart. Programs made between 21 and 13 cents and $30.29
per hour. That's a tragedy for our city.
Chicago children who need care and Early Education, they
deserve better than that.
Parents who want their kids to get the best start in life?
They deserve better to.
And child care workers.
Who devoted Our Lives to the profession. We deserve better.
I know that by joining together.
Center workers parents.
Administrators.
And Community allies, you name it.
We can build.
The universal Child Care Center system that our city.
All deserve. Thank you.
Good afternoon, thank you. Chairwoman Taylor, Vice chair
and the members of the committee for the opportunity to
discuss the ongoing Workforce challenges for the Early
Education and Care field in the city of Chicago.
I am Shauna AJ senior vice president of programs in
Illinois, Action for Children. And we are a Statewide
nonprofit working to ensure all children have access to
high-quality Early Learning opportunities. We have 55 years
of on the ground experience serving young children in
supporting the professionals that care for them.
We help families find and pay for child care. Collaborate
with communities to ensure that families can access Early
Childhood opportunities in their neighborhoods and operate
4, Early Learning programs in the south suburbs.
First and foremost, I want to make a direct through line.
The poor compensation for the Early Childhood Workforce is
derived from our country's history of slavery and devaluing
of women of color who performed the work of caring for
children as slaves and domestic workers. The majority of
the early care Workforce is made up of black and brown
women today.
Throughout the history of the United States. Our policies
have perpetuated racist, and sexist systems, that continues
to dehumanize black women as well as other women of color
laws that were meant to invest in families and provide
Financial Security, constantly, excluded, black women, and
those in the lowest paid occupations, including child care.
I bring this up because these Dynamics play a significant
role in the perception of the Early Childhood field today
and have resulted in a system that negatively impacts
everyone.
the cost of care is high for All Families, while
compensation for early Care, staff is still as low as it's
been since the 1960s
as stated earlier Early Childhood staff are the workforce
behind the workforce without a reliable and sustainable
early care. Workforce the many essential functions of our
society, simply cannot exist,
For far too long. Early Childhood Educators have been
overworked and underpaid
and for many Child Care is still seen as just long-term
babysitting. When we know that the most critical point in a
child's brain development is from birth to 5.
This is why to build and retain the early care and
education, Workforce the city of Chicago needs and deserves
Early Childhood Educators, and caregivers must be fairly
compensated, and included in the wealth and prosperity of
our country. We must make compensation and benefits
competitive based on experience education and demand to
attract, incentivize and retain the qualified diverse
Workforce. We need in our city.
This means increasing compensation for Early Childhood
Educators who are working in homes and community-based
centers and making sure they are paid on par with
Professionals in other care and education Fields such as
nurses. Nurses, excuse me and teachers in our public
schools. These Early Childhood educators are serving
children in their most critical developmental years and
laying the foundation for Success. It's time they earned
what they deserve and had access to the same benefits that
other professionals have.
When Child Care Centers cannot find and retain qualified
Early Childhood Educators, they can't serve Children and
Families. It's that simple to increase access to
affordable, child care, for Chicago families. The city must
act to stabilize and grow the workforce, and that starts
with raising wages for those caring for and educating our
City's youngest children.
Let me be clear. The work of an early care. Educator is
difficult. And complex to support the most critical years
of a child's life and ensure their healthy development.
Takes, not only meaningful training, but the compassion and
patience to care for young children day in and day out.
It's not something just anyone can do.
It's time. We showed Chicago's Early Childhood Educators
that we value them and their contribution to our City's
Children and Families by providing them with the
compensation, they deserve. Thank you.
thank you so much for speaking out, I would be remiss if I
didn't, uh, speak out on behalf of all the parents on this
panel and saying, thank you for sharing your stories. Thank
you for being transparent about this issue. Um, and just
thank you for being honest. Because this is a situation
that we have a crisis around right now. Um, as we move
forward, I know that there are a few members of the body
that have some questions. So I want to make sure that we
get to those. We're going to start off with chairwoman
Janette Taylor.
Good afternoon, everybody.
Um, raise your hand if you were a child care. Provider.
There are plenty of them in the room and so imagine. And
I'm glad that you talked about Action for Children because
you get that check once a month. You expect that co-pay and
And even with that co-pay is not enough to pay your rent,
your light, your gas. And it's also just disheartening and
disrespectful to be able to be a child care provider and
not be able to afford child care for your own child. That
is a mean system, but that's also the fault.
Of the last administration because they started with the
less push push kids to Chicago public school and now we
have 78,000 young people who do not have child care. And on
top of that the administration before that paid, millions
of dollars to update these daycares only to snatch the the
money back from the next Administration and you killed a
lot of black and brown women businesses. And so the
ownership is on the city of Chicago. We owe you all an
apology and this is our opportunity to do something
different and do the right thing. Um,
Imagine having children who are special needs. So, I
autistic son, who I it's very hard to find child care for
and I wind up not working for at least 2 years because I
could not find a place for him to go. Or I could not find a
child care facility that was able to take care of them.
That's not him, being a kid that's autistic. That's not me.
Being a bad parent, that's on a system who does not care.
And the City of Chicago has a very bad habit of making
mistakes, and now, we're left with the crumbs. This is no
different than closing the schools in 2005. It's the exact
same thing, and it's happening in the last Administration.
And so, the city council did not have a say. So in that
decision, a lot of us, fall back to say, no, we're not
sending young people to Chicago public schools at 3 and 4
years old. It did make sense they don't do well with K
through 8 if we being honest.
Look, look, look at look at what's happening in the
streets. Look at all the young people who never came back
to Chicago public schools once they closed schools. And so
we got a real issue and a problem, but it's in our
opportunity to fix it but this is not only just on the city
of Chicago, it's on the state and the federal government.
government. Let's not forget because there's no way in the
world that I'm a child care provider and I can't afford to
put my own child into the in child care that that that's
really an issue for me. And so this is a no-brainer for me.
It, it it's not, you ain't got to ask the majority of the
people who sit on the council. Her mother's their aunts,
their cousins, their godmothers, their fathers. And so this
issue is important to us, which is why we
Wanted to bring it have the conversation because too often
the story gets told from the top down, we need to hear
those stories from the bottom up. And so that everybody who
got up and participated today, I thank you for being able
to share. It's not easy being able to say, I don't got it.
I can't afford it. You gonna make me choose in between
paying my gas or child care. That's an evil system.
It just is. And so this is our opportunity to get, right?
And while this is a subject matter hearing, I hope that we
all take the initiative to push this Administration to say,
hey let's pay these, these young women, and men.
Because that's who they are. Oh, a living wage, thank you.
Thank you, chairman.
Next up, we're going to have alderwoman Jesse Fuentes.
You all hear me now?
All right, perfect.
Well, I do not have the luxury, um, and the privilege of
parenting yet. I am an aunt, they call me Titi, it's a 14
nieces and nephews
1 of them, autistic.
And I had to witness my siblings struggle between providing
quality child care to my nieces and nephews.
And doing things like paying bills.
On the other hand, I had to also witness the trauma, the
Heartbreak.
That my nieces and nephews had to endure when their
favorite provider left them.
The sentiments of abandonment.
The sentiment of insecurity of not being good. Enough of,
what did I do wrong to have the person that I love and
Trust the most, just leave me.
I don't think that we recognize just how traumatizing that
system is.
and some of the most critical years of a young person's
life, zero to 5,
And so not only do I believe in wage parity and ensuring
that we get this right.
but from sponsoring 1 Fair ways, we know we believe in
making sure that women, particularly women of color can
provide for their families, they shouldn't have to make
difficult decisions between providing quality Child Care
paying that ComEd bill
How can we send a young person into care? Hungry.
Because we don't got enough to pay that co-pay and buy
groceries.
And so it's extremely important for us, not just to reckon
with pay.
but the trauma that it has caused families and the
generations that have to be able to undo that Trauma from A
system that is supposed to radically loved our young
people.
And build a safer City.
And so I want to thank you know, SEIU the leadership, the
workers, the parents for being here today.
We're continuing to be a part and leading this fight and
for not giving up, despite many failures by prior
Administrations.
So I have a series of questions because I think it's
important that you all did a fantastic job painting a
picture. Uh, but I want to ask a series of questions to
continue to paint that picture because I think it's
important that every story be told. Um,
And that the narrative that we seek to get folks to
understand, makes the sort of headlines that is required to
make the difference. So for workers and I know some of you
all have left panels so the the other set can come back up,
up, um if you all could just stay close to, maybe switch
off my mics. So this first set of questions for workers in
particular,
Can you tell me, uh, if not providing care?
What other jobs are available to you.
And how do the wages compared?
What other jobs are just to to repeat? What are what are
the jobs are available to you outside of uh being care
providers and child care providers, and then how do those
wages compared
And if you can just state your name for the record, my name
is Doris Milton.
Really, I do. I work for a time as a teacher.
But I also have a second job to help. Um,
Pay the bills and stuff to survive on.
I do home care.
5 days a week when I leave my job, I go to my home care
job.
Which I take care of um, the elderly.
Providing a food and assistance, which is a lot like what I
do in my classroom.
Uh, just being there for them, and that's loving on them
and taking care of them. That's something that I say, hey,
this is really similar to, uh, what I do at work anyway.
Um, I went through a whole lot of training for that as I do
on my job every year.
Um, we go through a lot of trainings and so that's 1 thing
that a lot of us is are picking up second jobs because we
don't want to stop doing.
The job that we choose to do for life.
But and we don't want to leave. I don't want to leave my
children.
um, I have been offered uh, positions to come to CPS and
Other, our schools charter schools, and even people as to,
what could you just do to my kids?
Not at the state that I would leave.
My baby swear. Um,
So, it is other things that you can do.
I could go to Walmart.
And make more than what I make. Now,
I can go to Chick-fil-A.
Straight in the door and make more than what I make. Now,
But I would grieve the loss.
Of my children and my family.
And it's not worth that. So I rather at 63 year old 60, I'm
63 years old.
I've been working with young children since 1979.
Back in my younger days.
I still have that same Drive.
That I had when I first started.
Just to make a difference because I believe young children
deserve the best.
And I'm pretty good at what I do.
Um,
so, there is other things available, it's just that
That's not what I want to do.
I want to do what I chose to do in my young teenage years.
I had a excellent. I was in 1 of, um,
In the 60s, 1 of the first had stopped programs.
I had a wonderful teacher.
I thought she was an angel.
I said I'm going to be like that.
So, I am angel.
To a lot of families.
And a lot of children and I can't leave them.
Long as there's breath in my body, and I have the ability.
So, even though more money is offered than other areas, all
money is not good money, especially if it's going to affect
your very soul.
If it cost you to grieve.
So I'mma stick with my baby. As long as God give me oxygen
and the ability to breathe because they are worth it.
And they deserve the best.
Thank you for all of your work and your commitment to young
people. Um,
our city is better because of folks, like you
I heard in, in many of uh the testimonies that you all
provided we are witnessing in Exodus in providers across
the system because the wages are not enough to support
themselves and their families. Um, maybe you could take
this question.
What what is it like when you have folks sort of leave for
another opportunity? There are vacancies, can you tell me
the impact on the day-to-day, right? The impact on you and
the impact on children when we don't have another enough
care providers. Absolutely? So 1, um, the most critical
impact is
Our student child ratio with the teachers. So we are
constantly playing at Mary. Go rounds with the staff.
That's there you come in. Can you imagine coming in to work
every day thinking? You have your day laid out, only to
out 1 call off, or rock the whole thing. And so, we play
Margo around from here to there, to everywhere, um, from a
high level operational. Um, perspective. If I don't have
the staff, I can't reimburse, I can't get reimbursed for
something, I don't have yet our bills, don't change. So
being a head, start in the Early Head Start Center. We
provide everything, that's the diapers, the wipes, the
food, um, the, the, the likes, the parents literally just
bring their child. We don't and maybe a change of clothes,
but we don't ask them for anything. That's a part of the
standards. So those costs apply and those
Are fixed cost but if I don't have the staff then I'm only
getting reimbursed for a small number uh for the staff that
I have. And we simply just can't continue to operations.
Um, because our budget is laid out for us to have X amount
of staff x amount of children. And we find ourselves having
all the children, but not enough staff. And so the, the
books just doesn't balance at the end of the month. And I
will add to some of the things that um where I, when I talk
I, when I talk with staff at Exit interviews, I hear them
saying they're going to my um Southside um, oale location.
Many of them. Go to the Ford plant.
Um, those families go and work at Ford. I've had families,
go staff. Mainly go to another Center. If another Center
could pay a little bit more than me, then we play Mary, Go
Round. We're going to see each other all the time at a
different Space 1 Center to the next 1 Center to the next
or off to Chicago public schools and then in the summer,
they may access us to come back and guess what? I have to
let them back. Why number 1, I I I understand why they left
left in the first place and 2. I need you to come back. So
when they asked to come back, come back, I reach out to for
for, I have some former staff here today and I call her all
the time, you ready to come back. So we basically just, you
know, we're, we're playing this vicious game within each
other, but it's dangerous. And that was 1 of the, um, main
driving factors of Me closing. I know that my organization
can't afford an accident, if something happens and we're at
a ratio and that's the rest of the staff that I'm worried
about, I have 13.
The other staff members that I have to think about. So I had
to make that decision. Like okay this is becoming a um it's
it's a it's a safety issue. If we don't have enough staff
there, so it impacts everything from the child and teacher
relationship to the general operations to child and safety.
Thank you chairwoman if you would permit. Me 1 1 question,
go for it. All right. Can you articulate to me what you
believe would be the impact, uh, to the childcare system in
Chicago, if wages, stay low?
And then what do you believe the impact would be if we were
to bring wages to parody and pay our providers, what they
deserve.
Well, I'll, I'll start with that. If we keep them low, we
we won't have Sinners. We won't have now. You will have
those private pay for the families that cause can, um,
afford to pay those upward of $0 a month. And more for
families that can afford that great. But for families that,
um, cannot afford that and need uh, a lower accessible
accessible rate, then we won't have that we, we, we simply
won't be able to service them and then we have crime and
they can't contribute to to their Community. They can't
keep a job. I mean, the list goes on, and on, and then, but
if we could stabilize that people will stay, like, people
don't like starting over. Starting to you, go back to
school, you get your bachelor's degree, you've made a home
at the workplace, you don't want to start all over. So I do
believe that if the wages were
Fair then people will stay. And as once someone said
earlier, like just putting some respect on it, they have
the same credentials. Like, I myself, I have a teaching
license. I've taught kindergarten, I was taught Pre-K, but
the main driver of me, leaving the classroom moving over to
Administration was simply needing to feed my own family, so
people will stay in the classroom. If the wages met,
especially if I can go across the street and make 30% more
people will stay where they were. If it was parody there,
Um I think there's there are 2 things 1 is the that it's a
public safety issue. I think we heard cost and talked about
it earlier that a lot of parents are being forced to make a
a dangerous decision about the fact that they have to go to
work. And that they have, if they don't have child care,
they're leaving their children with older siblings and it's
it's not a choice that anybody wants to make, but it's a
that people have to make because they have to go to work.
work. And I think the other piece is, is a the statistic
that I raised earlier that 4.9 billion dollars. Um, the
negative impact economic impact that we're looking at and a
majority of that being, um, money that the city of Chicago
is ultimately missing out and that's an annual number. And
so a large portion of that, the city of Chicago is missing
out on what we saw during the pandemic is that a lot of
people, you know, did the math of what it cost to pay for
child care and somebody decided to stay home, because Child
Care was too expensive.
And what we have people who are making a living wage and can
afford to be child, care providers, and child care becomes
more affordable than more people can afford to participate
in the workforce, and that means more participation in the
workforce. And then that means more contributions to the
economy, overall, for the city of Chicago, in terms of
people being allowed to participate as workers, um, as a
part of the child care Workforce and as a part of the
overall work force. So this is a double contribution. If we
look at it overall,
Thank you. Uh you you have an advocate and a proponent in
me. Uh, I respect all of our providers and I think that the
way we show respect is giving them the wages that they
deserve. Um, I do have to bounce, I am meeting hop in.
Today we are back in session with a lot of things happening
but I want to thank you all for being here. Providing your
testimony. Um and we'll we'll work to get it right. Thank
you.
Thank you. Thank you, Ottawa. My fours. Alden woman Nugent.
Thank you chairwoman. Um, I'd like to take this opportunity
to share some prepared remarks that I've, I have on this
topic. I'm here today to speak in support of the city of
Chicago taking action to improve child care in Chicago and
in particular, to support our child care workers and
address the child care. Workforce crisis, that's
undermining our child care system here in the city as a
parent.
I know how important Child Care is for families and having
reliable and trustworthy care, makes all the difference.
parents that have dropped off a crying child to daycare
know, all too well, how hard it is to entrust someone else
to care for your baby or your babies, the folks, who helped
with my own children have become extensions of our family,
and continue to celebrate in our children's, Milestones
with us. I want all families who are in need of child care
to have access to qualified caregivers that allows parents
to work with without worrying about their children and
their quality of care all day long. Investing in child care
will pay huge dividends for our city access to Reliable.
Child Care is crucial to enabling parents to work and the
lack of it, undermines our Workforce and our economy. Our
current flawed child care system is estimated to cost our
state, billions of dollars every single year and a result.
And as a result of this issues, like, parents losing job,
missing work, and earning less to due to child care
challenges arise.
Child Care is also the Bedrock of our education system
supporting Children's Learning and Development in their
earliest years, sets them up for success in school. And in
life, there is maths of growth and development of the
brain. During the first couple years of life. Statistics
show that 90% of brain development is complete by the age
of 5. By the age of 5 children in early. Childhood
education. Programs are less likely to repeat a grade later
in school and are shown to be more prepared academically
and socially for later, grades, increasing their likelihood
to graduate from high school and in turn becoming High
Higher earners in the workforce.
There is a child care, Workforce crisis in Chicago right
now because child care jobs are not treated like good jobs.
Child care workers are asked to do incredibly important and
difficult. Work for low pay often at or near minimum wage
unsurprisingly. Thousands of child care, workers are
leaving their jobs. And child care, centers are struggling
to find enough new workers to take their place. Providers
are under staffed classrooms are closing and whole programs
are shutting down and these issues have had devastating
impacts on Children and Families. As we've heard from today
especially in communities of color,
The situation is just unacceptable and quite frankly,
unsustainable state and federal funding alone is not enough
enough to solve this crisis. Chicago has an opportunity to
join other cities and counties around the country who
invest local funding and child care. And take action to
invest, in child, care workers and our child, our City's
Child Care System. It's what our constituents are calling
for us to do and quite frankly it's what they deserve. Uh
thank you for the opportunity Madam chairwoman. That's all
Thank you for your comments.
Next up, we have Alderman Rodriguez.
thank you, uh, Madam chair and
I too have some prepared comments but it's not that day
today.
um, I just want to First
acknowledge that today is a tough day.
Um,
we had a real tough start to this meeting.
And at 9:30 this morning, um, we had another mass shooting
in our great country, um, and the fact is is that I just
want to take a moment to say, in Georgia, I wanted to take
a moment to say, um, that this time is an incredibly
difficult time.
This election coming up is incredibly important election. I
will not get political here. However, um,
The time is for us to come together.
Um,
Whether you are black, whether you are Latino, whether you
are white asian. Um, we need to come together as a city as
a country.
Um, and quite frankly, our world needs to come together
because we are dealing with some very, very difficult
themes. And I just want to hold that space a little bit
here today because I felt like that happened here, right?
Um,
And what a very important issue.
You know, the fact is, is that I hold 2 roles that are
extremely important to my being and my life.
1 of those roles is as a father of a 12, 12 year old young
lady that goes, the limb bloom.
Academic center. And to a son, 60 year, old son who's also
in CPS schools.
I was privileged.
My kids were able to get into a CPS magnet school. We won
the lottery.
Right.
But we're in The Hunger Games here.
the fact is,
we were 1 of the few that won the lottery.
What about the thousands of working-class Chicagoans?
Who don't have that access into CPS.
Who don't have that access potentially.
To a neighbor.
Or a family member who could potentially care for their
children, when they're trying to make ends meet.
You know, Miss Doris. You talked about picking between
being a child care worker.
And working at Walmart.
That is not a decision that we should have to make in our
great City.
That job of child care, provider is too important.
It's way too important.
As a father.
We've got to do better as a city.
The fact is if our child care workers aren't paid, justly.
We are not living in a just Society.
I'm also the chair of the Workforce Development Committee.
and I think very critically about how our Workforce and our
great city is able not just to have a job but to have a
career
to have an ability to be able to raise their families and
whether they've been in this city for Generations or
whether they're just here from another country.
We all deserve to thrive and move forward. We all deserve
to live together and move forward together and our child
care workers.
They're black and they're brown women.
I know for a fact that we had a couple of child care
workers that were Latinos, that couldn't make it today,
that weren't picked to speak for whatever reason.
We know that they are represented here today.
and the fact is I couldn't go another day as a chair Work
First Development without saying
That the government has a job to do and that's take care of
its citizens, and the citizens that are providing for our
young. People are our most important workers. I'll say it
here today.
We have a significant amount of child care workers, but we
know and I'm getting some data from friends that that this
proportionally black and brown women, the same folks that
also, who every day are making that decision on whether to
be a child care worker or a worker at Walmart.
Where we know?
A corporation that the pens on government subsidies.
To get people buy why? I don't believe in those economic
policies or those Workforce Development policies. I believe
in a city that invests in its workers and brings them up
and supports them. And our child care workers are exactly
those care. Those those folks. So, I'm here to say that I'm
a massive supporter in this effort,
And in potentially getting the significant resources that
are needed support our child care workers.
I'm going to do this but if you, if you may just briefly in
Spanish,
For.
I just briefly just restated what I said in in English. So
I just want everyone to know that that that was basically a
restatement but you know, to
The theas that are those who take care of our children day
in and day out.
Thank you.
From the bottom of my heart. Thank you. And we'll be
fighting for you every step of the way. Thank you. Madam
chair. Thank you.
Emotional up here, Mike sheesh. Um, it's, it's been a day
you all. So, again, thank you for that. Um, want to switch
to all the person Irvin
Thank you. Uh, thank you, madam chair. Um, I just got a just
just a couple of points and, uh, questions as relates, uh,
to this. And I was reading the, uh, information and, uh,
ultimately, uh, this is a, uh, I say, uh, 2 ways. I guess
you don't really understand the thing about child care to
you needed. Uh, um, as a, um, 50 now and, and for the good
chunk of my life, I didn't have any kids. Um, so I I I
didn't really truly understand the need for child care
until my daughter was born. And um,
It's interesting. Um and to listen to the stories that uh
others have stated about uh the low pay the, the hours, but
but also for the love of what they do. Um, so I, I do
believe that, uh, some way somehow, uh, we definitely need
to
make it possible for people not to make those types of
choices. Um, if someone's deciding between Walmart and
child care, and child care is a love, but they still have
to eat. Um, we should be able to help solve that challenge.
Um, to that end. Um,
What is the?
What do you, what is the recommended? And I don't know if
there's a national average or what we, we're seeking uh
where we are today versus where you all think we need to
be. Um and I'll pose that to any of the 3 of you all on on
the panel there.
Yeah, I'm sorry. I'm, I'm apologize. I was talking about
like, salary wages, uh, you know, like and I and I saw
there was like, maybe 1718 an hour. And what is it that
what is it that we're looking to get to? Or what do you all
feel is is just in this regard.
I think we're open to a conversation about that alderman.
I'm open to it as well. I'm just trying to trying to
understand what it is, right? And I mean our our campaign
has been a fight for for 25 as a minimum of a floor. But we
believe that it should be way more than that.
if we're talking about what true parody looks like,
I can give an example. So, if you are licensed teacher at
Chicago public schools first year teaching, you can make
about 6,500 dollars. If you're a licensed teacher, at a
facility, like mine, you're going to come in and make a
close to 50,000 dollars. Okay. And so, and part of you
challenges that you all lose people from your facility to I
can't even get them in the door because like think about
it. If you had an option for a, a school on this corner and
this corner and a community-based organization on this
corner and you could make probably 20,000 dollars more and
work for 9 months, from 9 to 3:00 versus 7:00, a.m. to 6:00
p.m. for 12 months. Um,
What would you decide you would do the same. Right? So I I
can't, I don't fault people for making the the alternative
Choice when it comes down feeding their family, it's we
simply just can't compete. The numbers is apples and
oranges.
and this is, um, and it's essentially is for doing the same
educational level, same the exact same to do the same, the
same qualifications and even those of our our staff that
are assistant teachers that may not qualify to be the lead
teacher at a public school. They qualify to be the Seeker.
They qualify to be assistant. So either way, we're we're
we're just losing them day by day. It's, it's just a
different scale, right? It's, it's different. And I know
that we're not the same, but the qualifications are the
same. Um, the human beings are the same and they should be
paid the same.
Okay.
And then if we looked at, so, this would be twofold on not
only bringing up wages and also using, uh, subsidies to
support.
Families, that need the assistance. Exactly. And uh what do
we project that to what do you all project that to be to
make this make sense? Just I'm just looking for the city of
Chicago.
um,
the variety of things that happen.
Organizations.
Programs. So we already have affordable programs, they're
like Head Start this Early Head Start we have the Early
Childhood block grant, we have all of the subsidies so we
can take we can take any family, that's eligible. Our
that's not my problem. My problem is, I don't have any
staff to, to bring the to bring the family in. So, I have
my, I believe our organization has done what we needed to
do in terms of making sure we have those subsidy programs.
We have that, we just don't have the
We just don't have the capacity in terms of the personnel.
which makes it even more tragic and is the the
reimbursement that
Provided via Head Start, or via the state, and you you
all's opinion is not sufficient to maintain a level of
Staff where you all, where that actually makes it
competitive for, uh, for you all to do business and for you
all to retain your staff. Absolutely. And if I'm being all
the way honest, there were things that my organization
could have invested in over the years as well, right? When
it comes to, um, donations and fundraising and things of
that nature, my organization could have done more to invest
in our staff. What we're dealing with now is the
consequences of not making that move to invest, right? So
when it was time, for those, 400 classrooms to be rolled
out at Chicago Public Schools. People went that way. And
those were decisions that um my organization did not have
that foresight to be able to understand like, hey, yes, the
families are going to come to where they know we've never
had a problem with enrollment people are going to continue
to come to where they know and where they trust. The
problem is, we don't have the state.
Have to go to go along with that, and that is a lack of
investment to the staff on on our end and also the, um,
city and states in. It's not enough because we are a
subsidy program. We're not allowed to charge families,
anything nor that we want to outside their co-payment but
nor that we want to. So uh, the milk, the bread, the lunch,
the breakfast, the snack, all of that, we cover the likes,
all of that we cover. So with the um streams of funding
that we get is just simply not enough when it balances out.
Once we cover the cost to actually run a quality Child Care
Center often times. The last thing on the budget is the
personnel.
Thank you. Uh, I I appreciate that. Um, and I also, this is
been somewhat enlightening as to how we, uh, move forward
and and solve this uh, challenge. Because again, I know
it's difficult for you as a provider. If you all can't keep
Pace with, um,
With the marketplace, then people are going to move in a
different direction. So, uh, appreciate that. And, uh,
ultimately, try to figure out how we solve that, uh, solve
that challenge the second. My last question is I apologize.
CPS is entry.
Um, into the space has done.
to me from the outside looking in since it's had a very bad
impact on primarily, uh, black LED organizations uh, across
the South and West sides of the city as they seemingly are
fighting over the same kids, right? Um,
The same staff because the families have a choice. The
families. Well, we hope that they have a choice, but like,
someone mentioned earlier. Do they really have a choice?
right? It's the options that provided to them. So families,
that need care before school starts, need People Like Us,
need organizations like us. If you have to be at work at 9
in school, doesn't start at 9:00 you you that doesn't work
for you. So you need to go to a community based
organization or a private pay place or something like that.
Um, now if you are fortunate enough to have a job that you
can come at 9:30 10 and School start at 9:00, then yeah,
CPS work for you. If you have older kids that can maybe
pick up for you, CPS might work for you but it doesn't work
for everyone and that's the and that's the main issue here.
But what it what it really drives home for me, is it works
for our staff, right? It works for our staff. It works for
the people in this field, not the families are going to go
to where it best meets their need.
But the staff are gonna also go to where best meets their
need.
So your um, so ultimately, at the end of the day, we need
the number 1, we need the help raise the, the salary or
your staff, so that you can retain staff. Number 2, we're
going to have to figure out how to, uh, support families
that are that are, um, an increased subsidies to you all so
that you all can afford to make those adjustments because
we can't ask folks with nothing to get come up with
something, right? Right. And I mean, I, I'm a CPS student
so we're so are my children. So my gripe is not with CPS. I
understand their Lane I understand our land but we want to
be able to, in order for us to play the game, we got to
have a starting, we have to have a a a, a place in it and
just don't have it and so we can't play, fairly if we don't
have peace all pieces to the game, okay? That's fair. Thank
you. Thank you, madam chair, thank you.
Alderman. Why?
Good afternoon everybody. Thank you for this uh important
hearing um just for some context, I'm a former Child Care
organizer and I'm a parent whose son spent between 6 weeks
and 3 years at TT Brenda's house.
right and Titi Brenda was a licensed child care provider
who's got at this point about 35 years in the game and so I
I have some kind of understanding of the challenges that
exist. Um for are you a parent, right?
Are their child care. Any parents providers? Okay, I'm a
pivot on my questions. Um,
do you have? I don't know if this was shared earlier,
please, excuse me. But do you have a sense of what like the
average cost is to provide quality child care for preschool
kids versus what the funding streams actually bring to you.
Yes, it's about 25,000 a year per child. It costs about
that much and that's what this through the funding stream
or the like, I guess, what I'm asking is, what's the cost
and then, what do you actually receiving to provide this?
So it depends on how many families I'm serving. So, if I
have all of the families there, then it may cost me up to.
I have a couple different, um, contracts with throughout
our Partnerships that equates to about 5 million dollars.
However, um, the operational cost of that is about maybe 3
million dollars. So what's left is the personnel?
Which is not enough.
Okay, can you tell me? Um,
Set numbers wise and the amount of staff turnover that you
experienced over the last. Say, 2 years, 3 years, whatever
you feel comfortable with
oh,
so many I I can barely keep count. I would say over the
last 2 years, we have lost maybe uh, well, I'll say this,
when I was at the, when I started at the Childcare Center
that I referenced felis, I had a staff of about 43 people
Right now, when we closed the doors, we only had 13
teachers.
Yeah, there was a hush. I don't know if you heard that and
this is pretty common in Black and Latino neighborhoods,
right? Yep.
Um, and they went across the street down the street to
another Center and we didn't lose relationships with those,
um, staff. We still are in contact with them. It may have
been simply a $1,000 increase. You know, when you're, when
you're trying to make ends meet, you do what you need to
do. And they may not even see that on the back end it when,
when the taxes and everything and the flush out, it wasn't
even that much of an increase like they thought and they
may come back and it all depends. Um, the thing is though,
though, we have to be able to make sure people can make the
right decision and it's impossible to do that if there's
not sufficient funding to help support that,
So how do you see this Council being able to rightsize that
for the industry, plugging us into the budget, right?
Giving us the extra leg that we need and what was that
number roughly that we didn't want to talk about in public.
I'll lead at Erica to say.
I think it. It's an affordable number. I don't think we're
asking for anything that we can't that we that um, yeah. I
mean I don't want to negotiate in public either that that
wasn't it wasn't a fair question and with respect to so the
cost of everything is going up right like my ex have gone
up your ex have gone up. My milk is gone up. Your milk is
gone up the cost of child care has gone up except the
payments through the system aren't going up. Um,
It's, it's a tough position to be in. I just want to affirm
here in this room. I support for Universal child care. I
think it's just, very, and preschool, for all, I think it's
important that we, you know, help our Working Families to
be able to have, you know, safe and nurturing experiences
for their young people. Like, I know my son benefited from
it, he's a 10 year old amb Plus student now, and it is
because of the foundation he got, and also the continuity,
he had the same assistance and the same care provider for
almost 3 years. And so I know that there are some
significant value in that and anyway I can be helpful. I
will so thank you for this presentation.
Thank you, Alderman. We are going to move to all the person
Cardona.
Thank you. Um,
first and foremost, um,
you know, I want to thank you guys for coming down and
sharing this with us. Um, my
I could say I experienced Child Care, um, and having it at
my house, but also my wife, she was a teacher, uh, former
teacher and, um,
you know, my children are not you, they're not young, I
have a 27, they're older. Uh, but when we had child care,
we struggled even though she worked at a, uh, daycare
center for over 30 years. Well, 30 years ago, uh, when she
graduated from high school, she got her undergrad in
childhood development, she was a teacher. But again, you
see the disparities of a regular teacher and a daycare
teacher in PEI.
um,
We kind of struggled but she loved her job. And, uh, what
took her away from the job was to pay.
And uh we had a refocus on our family because our family
was growing um, fast. And the cost was too expensive. Uh,
so what she did is she stepped out and she did her home
daycare and at the same time, uh, taught other kids from
the neighborhood and stuff like that. Um, but again, uh she
changed careers. Uh, because again, it was the pay. Uh, so,
so, uh, now our kids are grown. But it's still an issue
with families throughout Chicago, and throughout the state,
and I think throughout the United States, uh, for
Universal, uh, child daycare.
But I just want to make a statement.
And, and go to.
Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, uh, Child Care System, rest upon
the dedication of hard work of thousands of child care,
despite how important
I'm sorry.
Uh, dedication and work of thousands of child care, and
early learning workers, who care for teach and support
Chicago's children every day.
but despite how important these jobs are,
We don't treat them that way. Instead, we asked our child
Care Workforce to do virtually the difficult work for low
pay.
As a result, the turnover rates are high and the child care
care. Programs are unset understaffed. And I know this by
from experience, that's why I went uh, we had this
conversation. Erica, you brought it? I'm full supportive
because I was in those shoes.
30 years ago on, um, I understand the difficulty as a
teacher, not doing it getting it paid for what you guys are
doing. Um, but that's just my point. I just want to share
that but I also want to share. Thank you so much. And
unfortunately, you had to close your Center. I went to your
Center, you had a beautiful Center, um, and unfortunately
think things like that happen, but I I believe that you
will rise like the Phoenix and you will open up a better
Center and just keep that Faith because just remember, you
know, 1 door closes, but another door opens. And that's how
I see what's going on with you. I know the door is going to
open its going to be bigger and better, and you're going to
be able to provide those services for those children in
your neighborhood or in the neighborhoods. You have your
business that that'd be awesome. Thank you, thank you.
Thank you for that. Automate, as we are wrapping up member
questions. Is there anybody else that would like to go? If
I don't already have you Alderman Lopez? You are next go
for it.
I think, um, thank you very much and I really appreciate
the uh,
The opportunity to speak in this important subject matter
hearing um and uh on Taylor, as well as out of my plate for
making this a priority.
I think the the case is very compelling on the need, um,
that all our communities, uh,
I think the
need for child care is, is a basic, a basic need for all
workers. And if, uh, if we are honest,
Chicago probably has the hardest working people across the
country, but is unsustainable to demand of workers.
To show up to work. When uh, Child Care is simply
unavailable that is not
unavailable because there's no possible to do it, but
simply because we have systemic failures that are not
allowing
Adequate Fair wages, for those who take care of the most
pressures precious thing that we have as parents, or kids,
or children, or present and future.
So I want to thank all the panelists for for being here
today. And, uh, and for your determination to make this
happen, I had the opportunity to work, um, as um, as a
teacher with Hester parents. And I tell you, that, that
return, that prepared me a little bit, uh, when I became a
father of triplets a little bit over 2 years ago. And, um,
I tell you that my wife and I probably can attest like many
parents, uh, have difficult and and urgent need is
We used to be in our community, in pilson alone, the
youngest community in in the city.
Something that has been lost because families have little
opportunity to find shelter to find child care to find
Opportunities. Even though, as you mentioned, the
organizations are there.
But we cannot provide.
And I think we should and we can't provide the necessary
resources so that childcare workers are there fairly and
adequately so that we can add capacity. So I will simply
urge
the city and I'm very comfortable to say that I'm um have
confidence in the leadership of the woman tailor
To fight like hell to make this a priority for the city,
the state and the federal government.
Um, I think that what we heard this morning about a
smashing in, um, in Georgia, this happened in a high
school, this happened in schools and I tell you that it's
better for our city and for every city and everywhere in
the country to invest early.
Inadequately than to seeing Time After Time the failures
that are making these cases more and more common, and it's
a shame.
I tell you that, I know we're gonna hear about what is
needed for funding, and I B, I tell you the other cities
and other municipalities, and other states have done it.
There are 120,000 millionaires in the city of Chicago.
There are few dozen.
Billionaires that live in the city of Chicago.
The state of Massachusetts, just passed last year. I stayed
income tax of 3% of 4 percent.
They raised 1.5 billion dollars.
If the city of Chicago, Chicago, will pass a similar tax
and I think is undeveloped perhaps something similar in
November.
We can raise at least 3 billion dollars, not only we close
the budget Gap but we have to make sure that all our
children are taking care of.
The problem is the political will.
And that's what we're talking about here. It is about time
that we get our stuff together.
because I tell you see Time After Time, family is coming
asking for child care, slots unavailable,
At the same time, we have wonderful people that I work with
that are providing quality, child care and are leaving the
profession.
because as elected officials we prioritize everything else,
but we actually need
If we don't take care of children, who do we take care?
So I'll tell you today, we have a choice.
To say we do not work for billionaires. I certainly don't
work for them.
I work for the city of Chicago, the Chicagoans were being
exploited.
Including childcare workers, they're not going to be
provide for their own families.
Brought tears to my eyes. Last time. I was there people who
want to stay in the profession, but cannot afford it.
It's a shame.
So I urge the state, the city, the county and the federal
government, we can do it for the DNC and be showing the
best face but we cannot do it every day.
For those who provide the most dignified place for our
community or childcare providers.
This is the priority for me, not because I'm only a a
father of triplets.
Because I do need it as well but I tell you I am doing this
because it's the right moral ethical and thing and writing
to do for the city. Yeah.
This is going to take care of a lot of our issues.
So thank you again to the panelists. I know it was a very
hard thing to start the meeting as we did. Let us not Pitch
each other against each other. We are not the problem here.
The problem is the people out there who make billions I
tell you, 3% and 4% is not going to break him.
But continue to take from the little guys, to give to the
rich guys, is going to break us all.
So, thank you so much for the courage, determination. I
hear you time after time. You got my commitment.
We need to go to a March. We need to go to Springfield, we
need to go to wherever you need.
Sign me up.
Thank you very much.
Thank you Autumn, man.
Next up, we have Alder person Vasquez.
Thank you very much. Uh, chairwoman I I want to
First, thank you all so much because it seems like in this
world we live in.
Black women got to carry all the emotional baggage for
everybody, whether like I'm saying that oh chairwoman
included. I mean, look at what we look. What we had to deal
with here and and it is a lot of struggle and a lot of pain
that we saw its articulated in ways that sometimes are
hurtful and not meant to be hurtful. Um, but at the end of
the day it's always women got to hold us down and I think
we've got to
Always name it when we see it. Um,
I appreciate what my colleague was just saying, I think we
have to think about
What shared struggle and shared oppression? Look like,
because that's what I think. We see a lot of here. And I
think
It grounded me to see it and to see some of our sisters
here having to endure it and thinking about like my own
history.
Like some of us are old enough that we know the term
latchkey kid. Um,
Which you know if you grew up in the 80s and 90s and your
parents weren't around that Tae around your neck and hope
you figure it out. Um,
But it's because we live in a system that doesn't value.
Women doesn't give them equal pay and a patriarchy that
continues to oppress.
We used to live in a society where 1 parent could work and
the other 1 could be at home.
I don't, I need anyone here with struggle to find where
that's actually a reality for a family.
Instead, you've got to find parents who have to figure out
how to work find multiple jobs, just to get the kind of
income necessary to raise a family and that leads to very
difficult decisions when Child Care isn't available, right?
So I grew up with my dad working in shoe repair jobs
because he have, he, he made boots in another country. Came
to this country and the best. He could figure out to start
off with shoe repair.
Because my mom had to be around to look. Take care of us.
The only job she could figure out. Had to be midnight,
shift at a factory.
At an envelope Factory because she couldn't work.
At the same hours, my dad could work because then who's
actually going to be there to make sure dinner's getting
taken care of. So, um, not only do we think about the
workers that do the work being supported. It's what it
actually means for the whole economy and our whole society
to have that done in a way where women are being paid
adequately. And more than adequately, more than livable in
a way that allows for other people to make decisions that
are better for the economy and everybody else. So it's not
just the immediate effect.
It's the consequences across the board. And so I, I don't
think that's thought about enough. Um, if we want to see a
middle class that isn't disappearing and ask you as grow is
growing, we need that to be something that's invested in if
we want the kind of world and system where if a woman
decides you know what I want to take some time off to make
sure I'm taking care of my kid. I don't have to figure out
how we can scratch together to paycheck after check, we
need those kind of systems in place and so that investment
is crucial. And so um I've got a number of questions just
to gain an understanding on some of the challenges uh to
get a better understanding, right?
um,
so I'd like to understand about, I understand the
challenges of recruiting staff, right? Because if you ain't
paying with somebody else, is paying they're not coming,
right?
but,
What's the challenge in running an operation and having to
continue to invest in the cost of training people? Because
you have constant turnover, right? When you have a growing
work staff, they're invested they understand how to take
care of things. They don't need to be Rhett taught things,
but when you don't have that system, you have to constantly
pay to train and continue that. So what kind of pressure
was that like when you've got that kind of turnover, um, if
Lisha if you wanted to share with that was looking like,
absolutely. That is um the constant turnover is just it's
it's a lot of stress you're const. There are so many
mandates that go in with running. A quality Child Care
Center to have to do that over and over and over again. Um,
it disrupts the it disrupts the day, it it disrupts the
operations and then the cost on that and then honestly the
staff needs certain educational requirements. So then we
train them up, send them back to school, get them ready and
feed them right across the street to CPS. So that has been
1 of the um, most not disheartening part.
But we, we, we find joy in people going back to school to
those qualifications um and getting their degree and being
ready for the children but at the same time as soon as they
get that degree, they're eligible for something else,
right? And then and who can blame them, right? You just you
put a lot in investment into that. You spent a upwards of
5060 thousand dollars on your own education. So then that
training and all of that, that goes into that, we really
we're we're I saw some signs, I laugh and joke and say
we're the training grounds for CPS. I mean, 100, that's
what I say. It's got to be excruciating to 1 value, your
people enough that you want them to get that education
because you want everyone to do better, but then realizing
that, that ends up being the turnover and you got to take
that like, that's just yes. And they leave, and they leave
our programs ready. Ready? Ready? Ready to take on it all.
They, they leave is good staff members. They, they leave
and are able to be the managers, the directors, or whatever
else they going, because they get the training that
That they need with us and that all of that cost as well.
So, that's 1 of those line items that is just not enough
for once. We put the training and development, I mean, you
have to be trauma-informed, you have to be able to provide
Mental Health Services for for the families. You need to be
able to have sufficient facilities. Like my, my location is
not uh, I I hate to even want to compare it to something
else, but it's not like a ran down place. It is a nice
2-story facility. We have elevator, we have accessibility,
we have playgrounds if in solid.
On a preschool 1 with the changing tables, cribs, the rice
has cots tables, we have a state of Arts facility and that
cost a lot to keep up and to maintain. And then to train
the staff to be able to, um,
to be able to work in that environment and understand that.
That cost a lot too. All of that adds up. And so, we're
essentially the now. Maybe that could be a part of our
budget. You know, CPS should put us in their budget because
we're the training ground. We got hope they figure out
their budget too. Oh sorry 20. Yeah.
43rd in Cottage Grove, right. Across from the King Center.
Yeah. Y'all left 403 inch small. Send it to get a big
Center. Yes yep. Yep. We still that, that property is for
sale by the way, but are you serious? It ain't even 10
years old. Well, well, not the 43rd in cottage, but that 1
it may be talking about the 1 that's on, right? The first
on Pari, but the 1 on 43rd in Cottage Grove, I add, that
that's not, we're not free of that there. We still have a 2
million dollar mortgage there because it's a new building,
right? Because it's frankly, a brand new building, so not
to be able to operate. It is, is a, um, it's it's very
devastating for our organization. Now, I'm tasked with
having to figure out what do we do with that property? How
do we, um, how do we make it work? Now, I haven't made any
drastic decisions as it relates to changing the landscape
of the building because it's essentially a child care
facility. It's nothing else we can do with it in a way that
is laid out.
Um however I'm hoping that our conversations here today.
Help us and be able to reopen the center because we've
never had a problem with enrollment. I I believe 100% that
the families will come back because as everyone said they
need it, it's a free service. So I do believe that our
families will come back. However, um,
It's only so long that our organization like we have
fiduciary responsibilities. There too is million dollar
mortgage attached to it. So decisions need to be made in
the days. Go back very quickly. Um so like I said, we need
some help today or we we won't have facilities.
That can like ours, have you went to your Congress people
and you stay Senators County Commission. I have not, it's
more on my end than I need to do as well. Let's talk well,
Yes, thank you. I was gonna say some of it but that's also
why we're here to help push. Like because to your point if
everyone was doing better. There's other options for people
who might want to purchase or lease or something else in a
way that makes it all healthy, right? So I think that
absolutely makes sense. So I think
Uh uh I want to move from from the retaining and recruiting,
which is a money conversation, right? Um I know you. Y'all
are coming to the city asking for a certain amount which
I'm just going to tell you I'm a little bit psychic. It's
gonna be too low. Just I just feel it. But what were the
hurdles or what are the hurdles as far as getting a state
to Pony up? Because I know when Pre-K expanded I was
hearing from a bunch of childcare centers saying that they
were all losing funds and that has those effects. I mean, I
would imagine, I know there's like State conversations what
have been the challenges there to get that moving to get
the funding stream known that they got Bigger Pockets than
we do?
And that, that might be for yo yasi hands. They my bad.
Not mistakes. State has told me about its City. You date
Investments, and federal Invasion has all been on hard and
because they've been on cause that's why I, but the city
and not this administration because this is the new
Administration that we're expecting. No, no, no really new
new, um,
Religions, but it's the city that has been lagging. So we
talked about braiding and Blended funding, the city has an
upgrade in Northland, its funding in the last 2
Administrations.
Got it, get the money. The city gets 371 million in the
black rent, from the state, but you are taking that money
and getting into CPS, 33% on the top right off the top, we
only get 27% and we have 55,000 slots and CPS has 15,000
slots and they get
Majority, whatever 100% minus 27% priority because the
prior and you're not giving the money to us to pay our
staff point of information. We didn't, this was this was
the last Administration, it was not a vote, it was not us.
Yeah. Make that clear. It was not city council.
as a point, as a point of concern, the block, I mean the
rmp comes out tomorrow for the PFA Grant and that was a
very flawed process in the last 2 administrations to go
2019. Exactly. We would encourage you implore you to make
sure that when this RFP rolls out, that it rolls out fair
and Equitable. So 2 2 things 1 to help the chair out. Can
we make sure we get a record of the folks who were
testifying 1? I'm glad you're testifying because I'm glad
we heard it but want to make sure that's on the record. So
we know who's all saying it. Um, I guess through the chair.
My question is. Sorry, yeah, you were going to answer as
well. Yeah, I wanted to share. Please state your name for
the record Shana AJ, Illinois Action for Children, just
wanted to share what they're saying around about. The
block. Grant is very very true in the move for Universal
Pre-K there has
Been a shift and so that's really impacted uh, Community
Based organizations as they shared. But the other way the
state has made Investments is through the Illinois,
Department of Human Services and that is through through
Smart Start Illinois. The state is actually granting
programs dollars to support compensation and benefits for
their staff and those dollars will go directly from the
state to Providers. And while it is true, that there are
providers in the city that are eligible for those dollars,
the reality is any program that blends or breaks in a
classroom with other funding. So in the case of, um, cnh
where they blend with Head, Start for quality services and
with the Early Childhood block, grant funds, those
classrooms are not eligible for the Illinois Department of
Human Services dollars because they're saying that they
really want to get to classrooms. That only have child care
assistance program funding. But what that means is that
it's a, it's an unintended consequence because in the city
of Chicago traditionally,
all of those classrooms have been underfunded and so
they're now not no longer eligible for all of the State
dollars that were coming into classrooms, um from the co
money. And so you have a situation where there are really
great programs in the city who are getting transition
dollars until all of the federal dollars are out who are no
longer eligible for these Workforce grants and the
workforce grants are wonderful. Um but they are not going
to impact the city where traditionally programs blend and
braid the way they will. Other part
Of the state. And so the city, we need the city of Chicago
to really Step Up. Um, and and meet that, that balance. Um,
Um, I think the other thing that no 1 has mentioned, um, is
that Headstart dollars? Come really directly from the feds
through dfss and the other grantees here in the city, I
think there's 5 total
If we're closing classrooms eventually, we have to start
giving that money back to the feds. And so if the city
doesn't step up there is another risk that you're now going
to lose some of the federal Investments that have been here
for decades because as doors closed. Right? You can't, you
can't bill for services, you're not giving over time. And
so we're we're also starting to see that happen as well
where there's now redistribution of funds. But again, if no
1 in, you know, in in centers where we know, you know,
basically providers are not getting the pay Equity that
they need. It's just it's not a sustainable system. Um and
so there is uh, really a sense of
I don't want to use the word panic, but you should feel a
sense of urgency about trying to rectify this particularly
for City providers. I know. Um, for those that are no
accept, you know, accessing transition, grants that they
they are looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars that
they will be losing. Um, going into this this current
program year. That's already begun. Thank you for that. I I
have a through the chair follow-up. Oh, can I get 1 piece
saying that my organization? We definitely have braided
funding and that's exactly what's going to happen. So me
closing the site that means that's 3 that's 5 grants that I
won't be able to utilize and that gives the false
impression that we're under enrolled, right? Essentially
it's going to make it like we're under enrolling. That
families don't want the service or need the service and
that's simply not the case. So that's going to be about
over a million dollars that we cannot use. That will
essentially have to get sent back. It was fees that
Narrative of, um, the lack right, the lack, it's not a need
for it to be a need for. So we need to read the
Funds and I hate to even be a part of something like that
because that's simply not the case. Yeah, it's a larger
problem. And then she said, uh, truly unintended
consequence, just like when Universal Pre-K we're not
saying,
Great. We were happy to see that. There was finally, some,
um, that the state was looking at it. However, we were, uh,
uh, unintended consequence of how that rolled out. So I
think we'll be helpful for us because you got some of us
here but that needs to be like a 1-page written out as far
as the funding streams and how it comes through what
dollars the city's already gotten, and why it's not
distributed the way it should be right because there's a
couple and actually
Thirdly to that 1. How many of these things are executive
decisions, or could be executive decisions and don't
require Council vote.
Because some of this stuff if it's just somebody in the
fifth floor saying we could just do it. I don't know what
we're talking about and I the reason why I say that as a
concern is
And this is just a reality, the budget. We're looking at
right now has a 1.2 billion dollar deficit when you include
this year. And next year that my concern is is if you lump
it in together with that, it makes it harder to get you all
the money that you all deserve as opposed to separating it
and figuring out what things need to get resolved for
something. We all can agree on rather than lumping it
together with something that's going to be a lot harder for
members to find support for right. If you include
everything else, in the budget property tax, all these
other things,
It becomes hard to say this is the 1 thing we support
that's surrounded by everything else that makes it harder
and so the more you give us detail on what can be done
through executive action already. What what, uh, those
different funding streams are so we can talk to to get that
sorted out. Helps us understand it better. So thank you so
much. Thank you all for everything. You it's it's hard
enough and bad enough that y'all got to do all that work on
a regular basis. The fact y'all got to come to us
And do all the extra work to convince us to do something. We
all agree on is wild and so the more detail you can provide
for us the better so we can make sure we can't be helpful.
All right, thank you very much, sir.
Thank you for that. I'm going to pass it to Auto woman lie.
Just in the nick of time. Um I'm sorry I missed so much of
the of the hearing earlier because we've had to bounce
around so much but I I wanted the opportunity to just say
on the record, how much I appreciate everybody who came out
today to share your stories to really um
Shine a light on all of the things that are not working.
Well, um, in this space, as a mom, I'm a single mom of 2
boys. Um, I was fortunate enough to have a mother who owned
her own business and who
When we were little kids, there was a bassinet and a play
pen um, inside the beauty shop. So we were all raised at
the beauty shop, so are my boys. Um but we were very
fortunate to to have that situation. Not everybody does.
I know plenty of women in my life who have had to make very
very difficult decisions about whether or not they could
afford to have a career, um, and have children at the same
time and for some of them, they had to give up their
careers, uh, because Child Care was either unavailable or
so, um, expensive that it didn't make economic sense for
them, uh, to continue to try to work, only to pay for child
care at the end of the day, um, and we all know that.
child care for all is something that will benefit us for
generations to come
we know at that time in a in a child's development, how
important it is to have great care providers
You know, I still have very fond memories of my, you know,
we called it nursery school, I'm going to age myself but we
we called it Nursery School. Um, and this case at the
Christian Union Church in Chinatown um actually had my dad
as well um and he's you know, 76 years old now. But um
Those people make a difference in our lives, every single 1
of those caregivers, every single helper that was there,
that was earning living to raise their families as well.
And we're able to provide care. We need to continue to do
that. So you have my support 100% on this. Um, we need to
make this happen. I've already shared with the, with the
chair. So, again, I apologize that I wasn't here for more
it, but I'm with you. Um, and and ready to, uh, roll up our
sleeves and, uh, make the best decisions that we can and
fight for the things that are right. So, thank you very
much.
Thank you, Ottawa. Womanly
I'm wrapping this up because I just have a few questions as
we have been sitting here. I've been
you first I I'm going to pass it over to Ottawa and
Gutierrez so sorry. Just didn't want to miss the
opportunity to also um speak real quick. You know I'm also
a mom of 3 now and a former educator and I understand how
important it is to have quality education for our little
ones. Um just wanted
To to know that I'm a huge supporter. Also of all the work
that you guys are doing. I caught me in in any other um
things that we need to do. Uh I'm with you in this fight
and now as an older woman um,
Part of my job is to continue to advocate for families and
I would just speak responsibility that I do have. So Count
Me In in any of the efforts that we're doing to increase
the pay but also not only the salary. Also we need to have
better conditions in our centers. I know some of them have
been open for a long time and they need to be remodeled.
They need to be cleaner right to provide quality service.
So we need them also to be able to have access to Grants,
better their places because they've been open for so long
and they need a little bit of TLC. Write those carpets.
Sometimes they need to be renewed because our kids are
there, right? And we know now, with Co right? How important
it is to have a clean space.
so we need to find also that money, not only for our, our
workers, but also for our centers to be uh, bettered and
also some families sometimes, they don't qualify in in in
For, um, to pay just a little bit a week, right? And they
have to pay over $300 a week for child care and also we
need to talk about that. How important is for everybody to
have that quality in that um, availability to not pay that
much every single week because sometimes they
Just can't, but there's no other choice, right? We have to
look for money and have 2 or 3 jobs in order for us to to
have ends meet. So um just wanted to um, not
just wanted to have the opportunity to express how I feel,
but also coming in any, um, any fight that we need to
continue to have
Thank you Ottawa, man.
Now.
Anybody who knows me knows that I have a 4 year old
beautiful baby girl, um, who is the light of my life? And I
tell everybody this, that the village that everybody talks
about is not there anymore.
The village where you had a grandma or you had a auntie
that could do the drop off and could do the pickup or could
do the child care throughout the day. It's not there
anymore because they got to go back to work.
They too have to go back to work and they're 60s, right?
1 of the things that I have also noticed. When I am
dropping off my baby, when we're talking about turnovers is
every last teacher of my babies has been a woman of color
Latina black.
Uh atrion she has a beautiful atran teacher right now, who
has been there for decades.
1 that I don't see as men and I would love for you all to
talk about that because we know how important
representation matters, right? Especially when we are
talking about our young men of color. Are you able to talk
to the Gap that you all are seeing with me in the workforce
when it comes to child care? Um, or just to speak to that
component because I don't think anyone and I'm glad that we
had somebody a black man up here speaking from his truth.
But I would love to learn more. Just about that aspect of
child. Care is men in the workforce.
So I can take that, um, compensation and benefits is the
answer, you know, it's traditionally, um, a woman centered
role that is underpaid and so there's really no attraction
whatsoever. I think um, you know, we consider males in the
classroom, kind of unicorns to be quite Frank. It's usually
centers that do blend and braid or fortunate enough to, um,
get enough funding up front, to be, able to pay decent
salaries, but it is really hard to keep them on any
consistent basis because we, you know, we don't have the
ability to then, as, as she shared even as they go through
and get educated and gain more experience, right? We don't
have the ability to say here's your 10,000 dollar raise.
And so, we lost an incredible teacher that we helped get
his, uh, his
His his degree. Um, like he graduated in May and, you know,
he had to resign in July, we couldn't match a local school
district and this was in the south suburbs. So CPS is, you
know, it's it's beyond where most folks can afford to uh,
try to match their salaries on what cbo's get in per child.
Um, and how they run their budgets, it's just not
reasonable.
Say yeah, I'll Echo the same the men that I do know in this
field.
Are not at the cbo's. I mean, I, I feel like they have a
little bit more of, um,
A standards but not as a soft to Heart. They're like, oh
no, it's no attraction that there's nothing in this for me.
It doesn't make sense. Whereas, I find that the women will
stick it out. We'll stick it out as as long as we can. Um,
but yeah, it's just no attraction there, they're
And not having it.
And when we are talking about, I would love to learn what
are the benefits. What what is, what are the benefits
attached to these positions that you are offering to stay
competitive? As, in any job market? What are the current
benefits? Everything, we've tried everything right now. We
have a thousand dollar sign on bonus. Um, we have a full
package, we have a full 3B plan as well. We have health
insurance, dental insurance. Um, it's the salary piece, you
know? We have vacation, we have, um, long-term short-term
disability. We have a full regular um, package just as any
other.
Place and even my staff, they're unionized. Um so it's not
it's not that it's just that it's the lower paying wage. We
have a full comp competitive package Justice, the same as
our competitors, but um we offer we even started offering
free child care. If you got a child of the agents that meet
you, bring your baby, right. We started doing whatever we
could to try to bring people in, but at the end of the day
and guess what they leave, and they leave a child with us
and then we start charging.
but, you know,
I guess that speaks to the quality of care because when
they go beyond, they leave their child with us.
So I do want to say that most cios are not like that like
most child care. Um, providers are smaller, they don't
blend and braid and there are no benefits, you know? So I,
I do want to point that out. That's not the majority. That
is that, that is a good point, and I would even say, even
our health insurance, like, um, my organization, we, we pay
a lot on our health insurance bill, because some of our
teachers can't even afford that plan. So, some of them are
not even on our health insurance, which ultimately, makes
our insurance bill up, a higher bill, because we don't have
as many people on our plan. So the fact that there's a
portion of my staff, a third of my staff that can't even go
on the plan because they can't afford it. It says a lot,
right there.
That was all I was looking for. Uh, honestly is you are
paying people who can't even afford health care. Yep.
That's an issue.
Especially when we are thinking about our most prized,
possessions, you all which are the little tiny humans, who
will be the next leaders of the cities of the country.
You have to pay people.
My last and final question because I appreciate everybody
for sicking here for 2 and a half hours as we get all of
this, good information on the record. Um, in your packet,
you have Chicago, childcare shortage leaves more than
78,000 children without access to licensed, uh, care.
When you say the percentage of slots available per zero per
child 0 to 5 by region, can you speak just a little bit
more to that when you say slots available. Does that mean
that I can walk my baby in there and sign them up and you
will take them? Or does that mean that you have slots
available? But you don't have anybody to teach
Just a point of clarity for me.
Slots available but to not staff available. Okay.
Okay, that's all I wanted to know. Um I appreciate you all.
Good people for being here today, SEIU. Thank you so much
for bringing this in front of us. I think that you have
seen um,
the want and the need from the leaders that you have in city
council right now, to make sure that this is something that
we trudged forward and make happen, you definitely have
allies, um, in the education and Child Development
Committee, um, from people who are actually still sending
their children to these beautiful organizations and want to
make sure that you all succeed. So I'm sorry that's that's
total slots, filled and unfilled. I'm sorry. Okay. Okay,
thank you for that, you're welcome for the clarity. Um, I
really do appreciate all of the members who are here today
for their thoughtful questions and we will be in touch.
Hope you all have a great rest of your week. Oh wait, I'm
not done yet. Wait, let me go back to my let me go back to
my thing.
Oh, this conclude. No C Linq.
The midi, the meeting for the committee of education and
child development is now adjourned. Oh, does anybody want
to motion for adjourn? Come on.
Can I get a second?
All in favor.
I okay, the meeting for the committee of education and
childhood development is now adjourned. Thank you, look