Mercer County Groups Discuss Cost Of Daycare Reopening

LAWRENCEVILLE, NJ — The closure of childcare centers amid the coronavirus pandemic left many young children at home facing the danger of learning loss without daily structure.

Many local childcare centers quickly put together care packages of school supplies, such as crayons, paper, and child-sized scissors, for parents to use from home to enhance their child’s learning experience.

Now that those centers are reopening, their staffs desperately need personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning products to adhere to state and local safety regulations.

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“Our community quickly realized that our learning centers are more than a drop-off babysitting service,” said Luz Horta of Better Beginnings Child Development Center in Hightstown. "The costs of reopening will be astronomical, a crushing reality for childcare centers that routinely operate on a shoestring budget."

That topic was discussed during the Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Fund for Women and Girls' first virtual Cocktails & Conversation on July 15. The virtual meeting was part of the Fund’s ongoing education series, and it allowed members and friends of the Fund to engage in a lively discussion about the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on childcare for working families.

Horta was joined by Moderator Cecilia Zalkind, President and CEO, Advocates for Children of New Jersey, with grantee partners and Executive Directors Rose Wong of Princeton Nursery School and Nancy Thomson, Executive Director, Child Care Connection.

They discussed the challenges New Jersey childcare providers face as they guide children and their families along the bumpy road to re-open centers during a pandemic while sustaining safe, high-quality childcare.

“We soon realized that we were a lifeline to our families, students, and staff because although we were closed, we found ourselves providing food, care, and resources,” Wong said. “Ninety percent of our PNS families were out of work during the crisis.”

Those families were coping with the trauma of unemployment and the stress of finding new employment without access to childcare.

When the pandemic began, Child Care Connection worked overtime to connect essential workers with the few childcare centers that remained open under emergency orders. More than 400 children of essential workers were served in Mercer County child care centers during the height of the pandemic, according to the Princeton Area Community Foundation.

“New Jersey has made great strides for quality childcare over the past 10 years,” Thomson said.
During the meeting, residents asked what they can do to support the work of childcare providers.
“This is a great opportunity for advocacy,” Zalkind said. “We have the attention of the public, and our State and National Leaders in the way we have not had. It is time and to reinforce how important childcare is.”

To learn more about how you can support the Fund for Women and Girls or the organizations featured in this video, email Jenifer Morack at jennifer.morack@fwg-pacf.org.

See related: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know