Many families are going through tough times, as employers cut back and lay people off. Early care and education programs are also struggling with budget and other funding cuts. The combination worsens the impact of the recession—as programs cut hours and try to fill vacancies, and families juggle child care changes or pull their children out of programs they can no longer afford.

Parents and early care and education staff share how they’re getting by.

Donovan Harrison: “I’ve had to cut out a lot”

Sacramento dad Donovan Harrison says budget cuts forced his son’s child care program to cut hours and staffing—and raise rates. “[It’s] about $100 more a month,” he says, “so I have had to cut out a lot. I do a lot more cooking, we rent movies instead of [going out]. There was a time I felt the bills were never going to stop. I had to take a few days off of work, because it was flooding my mind. [But] you really have to be there for your kids, try to hold your emotions together,” he adds.

His son’s center is open fewer hours, so “a lot of us had to change our work shifts,” he says. “It was hard to ask for a change in hours. There was a purposed furlough and I needed to show I was dedicated. Thank God I have an understanding manager.”

The change affected his son, too. “We wait in the car for his school to open and my son feels antsy,” he says, adding “I always [feel] rushed during pick-up because [I work] 30 minutes away.”

Julie Giroux: “I could go out of business”

Julie Giroux, who runs Julie’s Day Care in Elk Grove, says she’s never seen things so bad. Earlier this year, she lost her home and filed for bankruptcy. She’s had an open spot in her program for months, which used to be unusual. She’s drastically cut her spending and also sells jewelry to make ends meet. “I love what I do, but if things don’t pick up soon, I could be out of business,” she says.

Parents in her program are struggling, too. “Parents have been laid off, received a pay cut, and pulled their kids out,” she says. “Parents are still forced to find [care]—based on price, not quality.” Some unemployed mothers now watch an additional child to supplement their income, she adds.

Sacramento County saw a 17% drop in family child care homes between 2006 and 2008 and lost 10 centers, adds Rachel Minnick of Child Action, Inc, because of the economy and foreclosures.

Lourdes Alarcón: “I don’t know how I do it”

Lourdes Alarcón, a single mother of 4-year-old Javier and 2-year-old Itzel in San Francisco, lost her job more than a year ago—and also her child care subsidy. “Thank God [Javier] turned 4 and is in Preschool For All,” says Alarcón. Preschool for All offers free, half-day preschool for four-year-olds in San Francisco.

“Sometimes I take care of other children to make ends meet or I do odd jobs and ask friends to care for Itzel. I am short $100 each month for rent. I don’t know how I do it each month,” says Alarcón, a Bolivian immigrant who moved to California about 10 years ago. She relies on unemployment, food stamps, and Medi-Cal.

“I had to tell [Javier] what was happening, sometimes he sees me sad and asks why I am worried,” Alarcón says. “We had to sell our car and he wonders why we take the bus.”

Family Connections: “We’ve cut back dramatically”

Teachers at San Mateo’s Family Connections have had to “sharpen their pencils a little shorter,” says Executive Director Renee Zimmerman. “In the past we’ve had a very healthy budget for activities. We’ve had to cut back dramatically.” Now the center relies entirely on a local food bank for snacks.

“Families are more stressed out,” says Zimmerman. Most families in the program have been dealing with job loss, which is hitting them much harder because it’s so hard to find new jobs—some immigrants have even returned to their home countries. “A lot of relationships are struggling,” she adds. “For example, a father [leaves] his wife and child here, and the mother [doesn’t have] money, so [we] figure out how to get services to that mother.”

Coping with the recession

For early care and education programs

• Provide support to parents: “Parents need support, even if it means an after-hours phone call. It’s not easy, but we all have to stick together,” says Zimmerman.
  
  
• Advertise: Hand out brochures and make signs. Offer discounts if parents refer others or sign up during a certain time.
  
  
• Network: Be active in your local resource and referral agency, family child care association, or child care planning council. Join the Chamber of Commerce for small business support. “Together, we can make things easier,” says Maxine Gervin, co-president of the California Association for Family Child Care.
  
  
• Take classes: “It’s a perfect time to educate yourself, it’s another networking tool, too,” says Gervin.
  
  
• Make a spending plan: “Are you in a position to receive low-income [assistance]? [Don’t] use credit cards to maintain business. Cut back and weather the storm until you’re back at full capacity,” adds Financial Consultant Otis Ward.
  

For families

• Contact your resource and referral agency to find out if your child is eligible to be put on the waiting list for a child care subsidy—and for a list of child care programs if your child’s program cuts its hours or closes.
  
  
• Find out if your family is eligible for other assistance programs (see Resources for families going through tough times, from the January Children’s Advocate, at www.4children.org/issues/2009/january_february/, scroll down)
  
  
• Get together with other parents to share child care arrangements and support.
  
  
• Make changes to your family’s spending or work schedule, if possible.

Push for more state funding

Some organizations are working to lessen the impact of the recession by calling on the state to increase investment in children and families:

• The California Partnership is building a network of community leaders around the state to help strengthen grassroots advocacy by low-income families around the state budget. For more info, contact Kim Kruckel, 510-301-1456
  
  
• California Majority Rule is working to get a measure on the Nov 2010 ballot that would end the two-thirds majority for passing a budget. This would make it easier for the state to raise revenues—for example, by reinstating the top tax brackets or taxing oil extraction—that could be used for children’s programs. www.camajorityrule.com
  
  
• Parent Voices and the California Children Development Corps
  advocate for more state funding for affordable, quality child care. Alarcón says she also gets support from her Parent Voices chapter—“I can share my issues with everyone and feel better.”