Baltimore Employment Roundtable

Meeting Notes
January 22,, 2004
8:30 a.m.

Prepared by Kevin Griffin Moreno

Present: Emily Burtt, Lutheran Social Services; Troy Foster, Living Clasrooms Foundation; Pat Glinka, Caroline Center; Tere Howard, Morgan State University MOST Program; Sandra Johnson, MD Center for Arts & Technology; Tim Kelly, Advocates for the Survivors of Torture and Trauma; Kevin Griffin Moreno, JOTF; Lindsey Schrott, Civic Works/Bmore Green; Tony Wicks, Jones Falls Counseling Center; Lindsey Woolsey, JOTF

The Baltimore Employment Roundtable hosted a presentation on Childcare Resources for Working Parents on October 23. Our guest speaker was Nancy Pelton, Training Director for the Baltimore City Child Care Resource Center. Ms. Pelton spoke about local childcare resources available to working parents; tips to help clients juggle the twin demands of work and childcare; and the policy outlook for public support for childcare in the next year.

Background

Without state childcare subsidies, many low-income working parents are faced with attempting to pay for market rate childcare. Market rate childcare is simply unaffordable for low-income working parents. As a result, parents are faced with placing their children in substandard care or not taking a job.

Seventy-five percent of children in Maryland under 12 have mothers in the workforce. Childcare is a critical need for families, especially those that have left welfare for employment.

While relatives often provide care at no or low cost, many working families pay market rate for childcare. However, paying the market rate for childcare is simply unaffordable for most low-income families. In Baltimore City in 1999, the average cost of childcare in a childcare center was $4,359, higher than the annual cost that year of in-state college tuition.

LOCATE: Child Care

This resource and referral service assists parents identify local childcare providers according to their needs, preferences, and ability to pay. Using a computerized database, local childcare resource centers provide information on the different types of childcare available, including all regulated center-based care facilities, family childcare, nursery schools, kindergartens, and Head Start programs in the area. LOCATE staff members can also offer guidelines to parents for choosing quality childcare, and link callers to additional resources such as the state’s Purchase of Care program.

For parents who are interested in finding appropriate childcare, LOCATE advises the following steps:

1. Call LOCATE: Child Care (410-539-2209 in Baltimore City or 410-288-5600 in Baltimore County; call the MD Child Care Resource Network at 410-752-7588 for LOCATE numbers in other counties).
2. Call all the homes or centers for a telephone interview.
3. Visit at least three programs to observe the facility, the caregiver, and the other children.
4. Decide which provider is most suitable.
5. Take steps to establish a good relationship with the provider.
6. Contact LOCATE at any time for more information, guidance, or an additional list of providers.

Additionally, if a parent has concerns or complaints about a childcare provider and is not able to quickly the resolve the situation, her or she can contact a LOCATE counselor who can serve as a resource for information and guidance.

Maryland Child Care Resource Network
(abstracted from A Guide to Your Child Care Resource and Referral Center, produced by the MD Childcare Resource Network)

Every community in Maryland is served by one of thirteen regional childcare resource and referral centers (CCR&Rs). Together, these centers make up the Maryland Child Care Resource Network, which provides leadership and services designed to improve the quality, availability, and affordability of childcare in communities across the state.

Services for parents: CCR&R staff provide technical assistance (information and expert advice) to current and prospective child care providers, in both family child care homes and child care centers. This assistance helps current providers enhance their programs and assists prospective providers entering the child care profession.

Services for employers: CCR&Rs offer a comprehensive guide to help employers assess and address child care needs. This guide, called the Employer Tool Kit: Implementing Work/Life Programs, provides a practical framework within which local businesses can assess and address the work/life issues – including child care – facing their employees. CCR&Rs also provide employers with one-to-one consultation, start-up information, workshops and seminars, a reference library, and technical reference materials.

For more information, contact:
Nancy B. Pelton
Training Director
Baltimore City Child Care Resource Center
1645 Ridgely Street, Suite 200
Baltimore, Maryland 21230
Phone: 410-685-5150, Ext. 229
Fax: 410-985-2100
TDD: 410-539-7779
npelton@bcccrc.org
www.bcccrc.org