Although Florida public schools are closed until April 15, Florida daycares remain open as vital havens for working parents. But plunging attendance and increased costs to protect children are making it even harder for the small businesses to remain viable.
Across the state, enrollment at day care centers is dropping because of coronavirus concerns and because many parents out of a job or are working from home. With drastic dips in attendance, day care providers are losing income, and many are closing.
In an industry that’s already notoriously underfunded by the state, day care providers are wondering whether there will be a financial solution for them.
So far, the answer is unclear.
Although Florida public schools are closed until April 15, Florida day care centers remain open as vital havens for working parents, but dwindling numbers and increased costs to protect children are making it even harder for the small businesses to remain viable.
“I don't see where the money is going to come from for the child care centers to stay open if the parents can't afford to pay. And parents can't afford to pay any more than they're already paying,” said Julia Musella, a Pompano Beach Voluntary Prekindergarten (VPK) provider and spokeswoman for “I Am Ready,” an early-learning advocacy group. “This might be proved to be a shakeout or a wake-up call. I just don't know how many of us will be on the other side of it.”
At Andover Academy in Broward County, 150 students are enrolled. Numbers plummeted throughout the week, and by Thursday, attendance was down to only 12 students.
“It’s a crisis,” said owner Donna Fong. “The income from 12 students is not even paying for the electricity bill.”
The day care will close next week because of the lack of income.
Fong said her main concern is about her 25 staff members who make between $10 and $15 an hour. She drove them to the store and gave them enough cash to buy supplies for the next two weeks.
“I haven't slept since Saturday because I'm totally worried about my staff,” Fong said. “If we are closed for a few weeks, where are they going to? How are they going to survive?”
In Broward County, 139 providers of the 729 providers who contract with the Early Learning Coalition of Broward County reported closings as of Thursday afternoon, according to CEO Renee Jaffe.
Funds for VPK, a state entitlement program available to all children, and School Readiness, which helps pay day care expenses for low-income families, will be reimbursed to providers regardless of attendance or school closure. But most providers also rely on private pay from middle or high income families, and some don’t receive government subsidies.
“This is a huge issue and challenge on a national level,” said Robyn Perlman, founder of the Business Leader Institute for Early Learning. “They’re talking about bailing out the restaurant industry, but how are they going to bail out the child care industry? It’s not just education, it’s a whole sector of small businesses.”
In Sarasota County, about one-third of the day care centers contracted with the Early Learning Coalition of Sarasota County were closed as of Thursday afternoon, according to Executive Director Janet Kahn.
“I think the real concern is next week when families expected children to return to school, yet there are minimal options,” Kahn said. “We are concerned for families who are unable to work, and thus in many situations not receiving pay to care for their families. We are also concerned about the economic impact overall on child care facilities. There are so many unknowns as, of course, this is something that no one has ever been through.”
Although many parents are out of work or working from home, parents who still have to report to work still need a place for their children to be cared for during the day.
At Shining Stars Learning Center in Sarasota, enrollment is down, and the center is at half of its capacity, but the day care plans to stay open unless Gov. Ron DeSantis mandates its closure.
“The majority of parents here are firefighters, doctors, nurses and policemen,” said Director Lindzy Sonja. “We have an obligation to every parent who is still out there working. We are here for them.”
A large bottle of hand sanitizer meets parents and students at Shining Stars Learning Center each day. Students get their temperatures checked every day before coming in and practice hand washing often.
“We’re staying open for them and doing our due diligence to make sure nobody comes here with any symptoms,” Sonja said. “I’m here for those families who are still working. We are taking it one day at a time.”
In Bradenton, at My First Step Daycare, only about half of the 35 children enrolled have showed up this week.
“If the kids aren’t coming, the parents don’t want to pay, and they can’t pay because they’re not working,” said owner Carina Piovera.
Although less money is coming in, Piovera has had to spend thousands of extra dollars on new flooring that is easier to disinfect, more cleaning supplies and additional pay to teachers who now spend an extra hour each day cleaning toys.
In Manatee County, only 12 providers of the 161 providers contracted with the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County closed down because of coronavirus concerns as of Thursday afternoon.
“We need child care providers to stay open and be available to take care of workers here in our area,” said Paul Sharff, CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Manatee County. “Health care professionals and first care responders who normally wouldn't need child care because their kids are in school now need day care.”
Sharff is considering waiving copay fees for parents who are unable to pay because of forced work closures of loss of employment.
DeSantis activated the Florida Small Business Emergency Bridge Loan Program to support small businesses impacted by coronavirus. Managed by the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the loan program will provide short-term, interest-free loans to small businesses that experienced economic suffering from the effects of coronavirus.
“In many instances, especially in moderate income communities, these business owners can't take a loan from the government because there’s not enough revenue in the child care industry,” Perlman said. “They need a grant.”
On a state level, there has not been mention of grants or waiving copay fees as of Thursday afternoon.
Child care centers “are in the same situation as other service industries,” Khan said. “None of us has ever been through something like this, so this is unchartered territory.”
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Coronavirus Florida: Day care centers lose kids, lose money, shut down - Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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