Significant improvements are on the way for home-based child care in St. Louis County as part of a ground-breaking partnership between a union and county government.
St. Louis County commissioners voted Tuesday to partner with a union of providers to improve child care. It's a powerful partnership with 420 licensed providers in St. Louis County who are represented by Council 5 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
"For decades our union has teamed up with county governments to improve service delivery," said Eliot Seide, executive director of AFSCME Council 5. "Our newest partnership will lead the way to improved child care. I applaud St. Louis County for its commitment and leadership."
The union will give providers a unified voice regarding regulations, training opportunities, pay and benefits. The county regulates child care and will work with providers through their union to ensure that its license is a sign of quality.
Like child care providers in the Duluth and Iron Range areas, many of Minnesota's 14,000 licensed providers have signed cards saying they would like to join a union. They envision acting together to improve child care for families and providers alike.
"This is a first ? child care providers in our state haven't had union representation until now," said Donna Thompson, a Duluth child care provider. "We're isolated, we work long hours for low pay, and we don't have time to lobby lawmakers on issues that affect us. Our new union will give us a unified voice and clout at the Capitol."
Both providers and consumers share concerns about deep funding cuts and low salaries. In Minnesota, $140 million in childcare cuts has hurt prospects for higher pay and quality child care.
Licensed providers statewide earn only $2.83 an hour on average, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The cost of quality will be higher salaries to attract more qualified caregivers.
Nearly 10,000 families have lost child care assistance due to recent cuts in subsidies established by the state. This has forced many parents to quit their jobs to take care of their children at home. Together the union and county will try to reverse this trend by raising awareness about the value of child care as a proven, cost-effective investment, the union said.
There is a direct link between quality child care and success in school and later in life. In fact, every dollar spent on early childhood education yields $13 in public benefits, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
For more information
Visit the AFSCME Council 5 website, www.afscmemn.org
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Significant improvements are on the way for home-based child care in St. Louis County as part of a ground-breaking partnership between a union and county government.
St. Louis County commissioners voted Tuesday to partner with a union of providers to improve child care. It’s a powerful partnership with 420 licensed providers in St. Louis County who are represented by Council 5 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
“For decades our union has teamed up with county governments to improve service delivery,” said Eliot Seide, executive director of AFSCME Council 5. “Our newest partnership will lead the way to improved child care. I applaud St. Louis County for its commitment and leadership.”
The union will give providers a unified voice regarding regulations, training opportunities, pay and benefits. The county regulates child care and will work with providers through their union to ensure that its license is a sign of quality.
Like child care providers in the Duluth and Iron Range areas, many of Minnesota’s 14,000 licensed providers have signed cards saying they would like to join a union. They envision acting together to improve child care for families and providers alike.
“This is a first ? child care providers in our state haven’t had union representation until now,” said Donna Thompson, a Duluth child care provider. “We’re isolated, we work long hours for low pay, and we don’t have time to lobby lawmakers on issues that affect us. Our new union will give us a unified voice and clout at the Capitol.”
Both providers and consumers share concerns about deep funding cuts and low salaries. In Minnesota, $140 million in childcare cuts has hurt prospects for higher pay and quality child care.
Licensed providers statewide earn only $2.83 an hour on average, according to the Minnesota Department of Human Services. The cost of quality will be higher salaries to attract more qualified caregivers.
Nearly 10,000 families have lost child care assistance due to recent cuts in subsidies established by the state. This has forced many parents to quit their jobs to take care of their children at home. Together the union and county will try to reverse this trend by raising awareness about the value of child care as a proven, cost-effective investment, the union said.
There is a direct link between quality child care and success in school and later in life. In fact, every dollar spent on early childhood education yields $13 in public benefits, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.
For more information
Visit the AFSCME Council 5 website, www.afscmemn.org