By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
The City of Seattle will provide an additional $5.3 million in funding to help support and retain childcare workers. The funding, supported by the city’s payroll expense tax, is expected to reach approximately 4,500 childcare workers across the city, bringing the city’s total investment since 2021 to $13.5 million. Applications for the fund opened last week.
Understanding that the pandemic forced the world to take on extreme life challenges, especially in the childcare sector, staffing shortages and wage inequities have grown to become systemic challenges regarding the continuity of care for families in need of affordable and quality childcare.
According to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, BIPOC women in this field continue to earn among the lowest wages in Washington State, making roughly ten dollars less hourly than median workers. The Seattle Child Care Staff Retention Payments are intended to provide financial support to help retain and recognize the important role of these essential workers, who were the backbone of Seattle’s economy throughout the pandemic.
“Childcare workers provide critical support for Seattle’s youth and families every day and should be able to afford to live in the city where they work,” said Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell. “Only with fair payment and continued investments will we achieve our One Seattle vision for a city where all workers can thrive, and every family has access to high-quality, affordable childcare options. The Seattle Child Care Staff Retention Payments show our commitment and appreciation to this essential workforce that is helping us build a strong, prosperous future for all youth in our city.”
“Childcare providers have been on the frontline during the pandemic, supporting our families, our communities, and our economy through one of the most challenging crises of our lifetime,” said Seattle City Councilmember Teresa Mosqueda. “Their work makes all other work possible, and these Seattle Child Care Staff Retention Payments supported by JumpStart build on the appreciation pay and the construction grants I championed.”
“These are direct investments into the childcare profession and support these skilled workers in the critical and essential career it is,” added Mosqueda. “Let’s keep building on our commitment to investing in the wages and stability of childcare workers.”
Those employed at family childcare and center-based programs licensed by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) within Seattle city limits are eligible to receive payments. Applications opened on June 13 and closed on July 5 at 11:59 pm and are to be completed by employers or family childcare programs. In addition, applications have been made available in Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, English, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
The dollar amount per worker will be based on the number of eligible staff identified by applicants. After the application process is complete, BrightSpark Early Learning Services, formerly Child Care Resources, is responsible for distributing funds to providers on behalf of the City of Seattle. Payments will be distributed by each program to all of their eligible staff through the program’s payroll methods.
“BrightSpark Early Learning Services is proud to partner once again with DEEL to deliver much-needed compensation directly to childcare providers in the form of retention payments—an acknowledgment and honoring of the educators who have remained open throughout the last few years, enabling parents to work and ensuring children’s access to high-quality early learning goes uninterrupted,” said Phoebe Sade, Executive Officer, BrightSpark Early Learning Services.
“The response from providers during the previous rounds of grants was overwhelming: these funds helped stabilize businesses and retain qualified staff. We commend the City of Seattle for prioritizing childcare,” Sade continued.
This year’s investment represents the fourth round of payments that will help support the childcare industry since the start of the pandemic. The Department of Education and Early Learning, in partnership with BrightSpark Early Learning Services, previously provided $8.2 million in direct funding to more than 4,500 workers and stabilization grants for more than 600 businesses since 2021.
“One-time payments are not a sustainable strategy to advance wage equity in this sector. Childcare workers deserve so much more than this one-time payment for the safe and nurturing care they provide for our city’s children,” said Dr. Dwane Chappelle, Director of the Seattle Department of Education & Early Learning. “We continue to work with our State and County partners to assess the true cost of care and advocate for wage equity in this critical industry.”
