Child care centers face dropping enrollment

A growing number of child care providers are reporting a drop in enrollment as parents lose jobs or try to cut back expenses, according to an organization that helps connect families with quality day care.

"We're talking to centers and for the first time we're finding vacancies," said Becky Hancock, program coordinator of Child Care Resource and Referral. "Normally, especially for infants, we'll have to call five, six or seven centers or home-care providers for the little guys. Now we're calling and being able to place them immediately. Even for large families, centers are having openings."

Victoria Best, owner and director of Cholla Montessori in north Mesa, said her organization is staying afloat, but barely.

"Normally we would have 40, but we're down to under 30 (children)," Best said, adding that she hasn't had a new student enroll since October and usually she sees nine or 10 new enrollments in the fall. Her facility serves primarily infants through age 5, but she can take older, after-school children as well. The center has been licensed since 2000.

"We are having trouble surviving," she said. "I think we could make it through six months, but after that point, we really need more enrollees. We simply can't make the overhead."

Another sign of trouble, Hancock said, came in early December. The agency is usually "swamped" with calls from parents looking for holiday camps. This year, "We got none. Zero," Hancock said. "That lets us know little guys are staying home with big brother, big sister, aunts, uncles, grandparents, anyone who can watch them for a much lower cost, if any cost at all."

It's a trend going on nationwide, said Linda Smith, director of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies.

"We're hearing that all over the country parents are taking their children out (of child care)," Smith said during a phone interview from Virginia. "The impact will probably outlast the current economic downturn."

A drop in quality day care could hinder the U.S. economy as it struggles to come back from this recession, Smith said.

"It's going to take a long time to rebuild child care," Smith said. "We've done a lot of work in response to hurricanes or fire, Hurricane Katrina and the hurricane in Galveston this year. We know people can't go to work if they don't have child care. As more and more people get laid off and child cares close down, as the economy starts to pick back up, with child care not there, it'll be a hard situation."

It's also a situation that may be unhealthy for children, Hancock said. Some parents may be leaving young children home with older siblings in order to save money.

"They're staying home with big brother or big sister or a neighbor down the street. They're staying home with unintentional providers, providers doing a favor for a friend. It's hard for the little guys. They don't know who's watching them day to day. And it's hard for providers. They're not trained on child care development," Hancock said.

Sunrise Preschools operates 29 preschools and child care centers under the Sunrise and Tots Unlimited names in the Valley, with 5,000 children and 650 employees. It has seen a decline of about 10 percent of its enrollment, said president Dana Vela.

"We've been watching this come on," Vela said, noting the initial decline in the housing market that brought about layoffs.

The centers are being proactive, Vela said, making changes to accommodate parents.

"When parents are under this kind of stress, the critical thing is consistency for children," Vela said. "Whether or not the children understand what's going on at home they can feel it. We've made our services available in ways that have not traditionally been available."

In some centers, established families can call a day in advance - or first thing in the morning - to change child care plans.

"The drop in enrollment has allowed us to be flexible with our families. If you were to tell me you have a job interview today then sure, bring them in. Let them see their friends. Let them stay here. Or if construction families have two weeks worth of work, they can come in for just those couple weeks or just come in the afternoon. We've tried very hard, as an extension of the family, to say 'It's going to take all of us to do this.'"

Hancock said other providers are also making adjustments.

"A lot of home care providers are changing their hours, adding weekend hours, exchanging their hours. They're being flexible with vacation time off - especially for parents who are struggling in keeping their jobs right now," she said.

At least one nonprofit child care center reports it's seen an increase in enrollment. Great Start Preschool offers care for children ages 2 to 5 in Gilbert. Director Natalie Licea said some families have left as parents have been laid off, but other families are coming in once they find out the pricing.

"We have seen a boost in our enrollment although a lot of day cares have gone under," Licea said.

Another trend that's come out of the economy, Hancock said, has been a jump in the number of people who want to become home-based child care providers.

"We're seeing an increase in the number of people who want to go through the process to become home providers," Hancock said. "We're also seeing frustration on the part of established home care providers because of the drop of enrollment."

Parents and guardians can call Child Care Resource and Referral to find home day-care providers or child care centers with openings in the area near their home or work.

The agency also provides training for providers in seven counties and keeps a registry of home day-care providers. To be on the registry, providers must go through a background check and fingerprinting.