When Gov. Kay Ivey ordered child care centers across the state to close on March 13, a move made to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Terri Jackson assumed the closure would only last about two weeks.
Jackson, the owner of Montgomery's Mulberry Montessori, watched as the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continued to rise in the area and across the state, forcing her to continue pushing off a return.
Nearly five months later, she's yet to reopen her school, meaning no tuition has came in. As the 10-year anniversary of the Montessori approaches next month, Jackson said she's not sure what the future will look like — or if there is still a future for her business.
"There comes a point in time when you have to realize there is a point of separation," Jackson said. There comes a time, she said, to "remove the rose colored glasses," and realize, "there’s no point going further in debt."
Jackson is not alone in her struggle amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an April survey, 90% of Alabama child care programs that responded were closed, with an additional 5% closed to everyone except essential personnel. As the state struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19, centers have been forced to make decisions that teeter between staying financially afloat as fewer children return and respecting employees' fear of returning to confined spaces where social distancing is not attainable.
In either case, child care providers across the state are struggling immensely. Without more assistance, Alabama's workforce and economy faces detrimental impacts, experts say, with a majority of young children being raised by parents who work.
Nationally, 67% of children younger than six years old have all available parents in the labor force, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation
Plus, Alabama was already struggling with a child care shortage of nearly 200,000 slots before the pandemic began, according to a survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Those that choose to stay closed, such as Jackson's, can receive federal funds from the Paycheck Protection Program, which cover operating costs for two months.
Before receiving that funding in July, Jackson said she was relying on donations from parents and taking from her savings to make rent and utility payments on her two buildings.
"I was this close to having to say 'I can't do it anymore,' " Jackson said, holding two fingers less than an inch apart.
By opening, she would be eligible for another grant through the Department of Human Resources that assist privately funded centers. The Temporary Assistance for Stabilizing Child Care (TASCC) grant requires opening by Aug. 17.
“We don’t know enough (about the virus), I don’t think,” she said about why she is not ready to reopen.
Most of the her staff are more than 40 years old, some with underlying health issues and others who care for family members that do. Two have had family members die from the virus.
After losing two close friends in the past couple of years, thinking about exposing one of her teachers and subsequently losing is a risk, “I don’t take it lightly,” Jackson said.
More: State offering grants for Pre-K facilities affected by pandemic
Her hope is that there is a large downshift in the pandemic in the next two months.
“I really hope things are different," Jackson said. "This business is my heart and soul. The thought of not being able to survive this is pretty sobering. I’ve put my blood, sweat and tears into this business. ... I've never felt more like an ant in ant hill in my life."
As of Friday morning, about 85,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Alabama, with 1,516 deaths. In the last two weeks, there have been just under 22,000 confirmed cases.
Because of this, child care providers who have opened back up are still struggling as many parents keep their children home, either out of fear or because they are now unemployed.
In Mobile, Lighthouse Academy reopened three of its five centers two weeks ago. While closed, Lighthouse received sustainability grants through DHR that covered half of what would normally be provided for children under state subsidies, but that funding ends this week.
"We didn't feel comfortable opening back up," Director Tejuania Nelson said. But, "We really have no other choice. If we don't open, we could lose the centers. So we've got to open and see who is going to come."
All are operating at half capacity, Nelson said, while pre-pandemic, each was operating at full capacity with a waiting list.
"It's not enough to stay afloat. ... We have no babies coming back. They are not sending the babies. So I’m thinking maybe in a few months they’ll be more comfortable but right now, they just aren’t," Nelson said.
She has applied for the TASCC grant, but that funding will only support the tuition of families who pay out-of-pocket for care. With the majority of the centers' children covered through state subsidies, there isn't relief to cover the loss of those who are not in the building.
One center has already been forced to close again for five days to test all staff members. Two teachers ended up testing positive for COVID-19. Despite this, the other two centers are set to reopen on Monday.
"It’s kind of like if you don’t open, you don’t know what's going to happen and if you do open, you don’t know what's going to happen. … We want to be safe. We want to ensure all of our families that come in are safe but then again, we are scared too. I don’t want to put my teachers at risk. And if anything happens to me, who’s going to run the center? And if I have a family too, I have a father who is sick. I’m praying constantly. I pray before I go into the center."
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Krista Johnson at kjohnson3@gannett.com.
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August 03, 2020 at 06:00PM
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Open or stay closed? Across Alabama, child care providers struggle with decision - Montgomery Advertiser
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