SAINT PETERSBURG, Fla. — Autumn Watson is a single mother of six. She works full-time in healthcare.
"It’s hard, it's really hard," said Watson.
But she said finding decent childcare has been even harder.
"For my younger two, it took four months to find good, reasonable child care," said Watson.
She is not alone. Finding access to affordable, quality childcare is difficult for many families.
Right now, childcare in the Tampa Bay area costs more than college tuition at the University of South Florida.
Data from the Economic Policy Institute shows the average infant childcare cost in Florida is $770 a month, and non-infant is more than $600 a month.
Michele Brown, early learning senior manager with United Way Suncoast, said several factors play into the high costs, including the rising costs of real estate, expensive code-approved materials, and the need to pay workers more. Brown said the nation lost 100,000 childcare workers following the pandemic.
"A lot of our childcare facilities are understaffed because the workers are underpaid. So after the pandemic, they realized you could get paid more at a Checkers or Taco Bell that’s offering a 500 bonus versus childcare," said Brown.
Brown said because of the lack of affordable early learning childcare, 50 percent of kids are not ready for kindergarten.
"90 percent of brain development happens before age five. We want to make sure our children are successful," said Lindsay Carson, director of United Way Suncoast Pinellas.
That's why she said the United Way Suncoast is working to combat these issues. Their free early learning program provides several community needs, such as:
- free materials to childcare providers
- paying for professional development and coaching for educators
- family support, teaching parents how to interact with their children
"It teaches you how to be patient with them, how to play at their level," said Watson.
United Way Suncoast said their hope is that the communities can come together and help find solutions to help overcome the childcare crisis and help families in desperate need of childcare.
For more information on United Way Suncoast's early learning program in St. Pete, click here or email ubutler@uwsuncoast.org.
