COLUMBUS – With three quarters of Ohio’s childcare centers looking for staff, parents and center operators are feeling the crunch.
Columbus city leaders yesterday announced $3.5 million in federal pandemic relief funding would be used to support marketing efforts to attract new teachers, to pay for signing bonuses and to provide scholarships for low-income families.
According to the Ohio Association of Child Care Providers, 61% of child care centers in Ohio have either closed or reduced classroom sizes due to personnel shortages and nearly half have turned away new enrollments as a result of staffing shortages.
The city is setting aside $500,000 for 500 one-time $1,000 signing bonuses to help childcare centers recruit new teachers or rehire those who previously left the labor market and another $500,000 a marketing campaign to recruit new teachers, Columbus Mayor Andrew GInther announced.
The programs will be administered by Action for Children, a childcare resource and referral agency.
Ohio families, meanwhile, are experiencing considerable financial pressures with the average cost of childcare exceeding $10,000 per year.
The city is devoting $2.5 million for 250 scholarships of up to $10,000 for low-income families earning too much to qualify for subsides.