Chicago’s childcare ‘deserts,’ where household demand for quality early childhood care (ECE) programs far outpaces the supply, exist primarily in low-income communities where quality ECE can have the biggest impact. Affordable private and CBO childcare facilities serve crucial roles in these areas and typically provide additional flexibility to residents who require it to work. Although CPS programs were also impacted, these smaller entities faced greater instability when COVID-19 fears eroded ECE enrollment last fall, dropping Black 3- and 4-year-old participation by 44%. As parents return to work and Chicago rolls out its Universal Pre-k initiative, the city must form strategic ‘Oasis’ collectives between CPS and these entities to protect community stability and meet rising ECE demands.
Oasis collectives would aim to address three major issues related to ECE enrollment. First, universal Pre-K expansion has the unintended consequence of forcing families to choose between the zero-cost option CPS provides and the needed flexibility offered by private or CBO centers. Second, despite the former option proving more popular, CPS has struggled to walk families through the complex sets of options available for childcare on its online, ‘one-stop-shop’, enrollment portal. Lastly, the half- and full-day options presented by CPS (which typically revolve around traditional, white-collar, working hours) do little to serve front-line and non-traditional workers whose schedule irregularity and unpredictability has only increased during the pandemic.
To tackle this, CPS must convene pre-K, private/CBO, and K-12 school leader working groups from target desert areas to strategize and deliver on-site enrollment services at CPS K-12 school “Oasis” sites. K-12 neighborhood schools typically already serve older siblings or family members in these tight-knit communities, so back-to-school orientations, parent nights, and report card pick up days all represent prime opportunities for ECE providers to collaborate, rather than compete, to fill ECE slots. These events allow for more effective consultation with families who may lack access to Internet and/or tech literacy to select and potentially combine services from the public and private options to fit their unique needs. By leveraging social cohesion, the city can better serve parents and families and ensure that all ECE options can bounce back after the pandemic and provide much needed care.
City of Chicago
Copyright 2021 City of Chicago