BY ELLE BENT, GRACE DICKENS & CHLOE YOUNG
What they're saying
“When you raise salaries, you create the expectation that it’s going to keep happening. Next year, if I have to give raises, we’ll see what’s going to happen. I think I have to raise tuition, but I feel terrible for my students because I know the situation of some of my families.” LUISI WESTIGARD, FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR OF ALDEA VERDE PRESCHOOL
“I was able to do a lot of things that I can’t do now that it’s stopped. I still have made all these commitments about higher pay and bonus structures, so I’m still doing those, but because we don’t have that additional cushion, it is a lot harder.” PRISCILLA JONES, OWNER AND DIRECTOR OF AMAZIN KIDZ IN LEANDER
“We’re not going to see a dramatic closure like everything goes dark in November, but we’re going to have this insidious decline that is easy to overlook. We see costs are increasing, and now [providers are] losing any kind of pandemic support that they had.” CATHY MCHORSE, VICE PRESIDENT OF SUCCESS BY 6 FOR UNITED WAY FOR GREATER AUSTIN
Average estimated Williamson County child care costs
What’s next?
2018
2023
At the local level, rising child care costs alongside inflation have raised questions for centers about how to handle the funding loss. The 2023 median cost for child care in Williamson County, from infant- to preschool-based centers, can go from about $9,500 to over $11,000 annually, up about 17% across the board from 2018. On Oct. 25, President Joe Biden recommended an emergency funding package to the U.S. Congress including $16 billion in child care funds. However, that package would have to be approved by both the House and the Senate. “It’s going to be brutal,” Richardson said. “It’s definitely going to affect many places being open because they set you up for failure. We’re just trying to stick it out and do what’s best for the kids.”
$12,000
+17.7%
+17.7%
+17.7%
$10,000
$8,000
$6,000
$0
Infant centers (0-17 months)
Toddler centers (18-35 months)
Preschool centers (36-71 months)
SOURCE: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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CEDAR PARK - FAR NORTHWEST AUSTIN EDITION
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