At his press conference on Tuesday, Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves shared his excitement for what could be a pivotal meeting to address the city’s childcare crisis. Today’s second childcare summit aims to move beyond problem identification toward concrete solutions that could transform how families access quality, affordable childcare.
Focus on Actionable Solutions
Following the successful kickoff meeting in May, which featured Miami-Dade’s Thrive by Five initiative, Mayor Reeves emphasized his commitment to targeted action.
- “I’d rather do one or two things really, really well and for us to see a result, than try to do 15 things that don’t really have a result,” Reeves stated.
The mayor was impressed with Miami’s successful model, which he described as promoting “quality care and retention” through innovative pay supplement programs.
- At the heart of Pensacola’s childcare crisis lies a fundamental paradox that Mayor Reeves articulated: “We drop our 1-year-old or our 4-year-old or three-year-old off to go have a job and make money… we’re dropping off our sons and our daughters and our grandsons and granddaughters, and we’re dropping ’em off with people who are in charge of the most special thing to us in our life. And we pay $14 an hour or we pay $15 an hour.”
This wage disparity creates a troubling reality where families spend “30% of that check” on childcare while entrusting their most precious assets to underpaid workers. The mayor noted that “I don’t think you could present that to any parent and them say that that makes a lot of sense, but that’s just the reality of the market.”
Dig Deeper
In December 2023, Inweekly reported on the childcare crisis as readers shared their struggles finding quality childcare for their children. Read An Answer to the Childcare Crisis?.
The Early Learning Coalition of Escambia County faced a critical shortage of early childhood educators, with about 700 children on the waitlist despite having adequate facilities and funding. Executive Director Bruce Watson noted that classroom capacity was reduced by half due to staffing shortages, resulting in the agency serving only 70% of its pre-COVID enrollment numbers.
- To address this crisis, the Coalition partnered with the Business and Leadership Institute of Florida Small Business Development Center at the University of West Florida and Wells Fargo to launch a mentorship program in early 2024. The program aimed to train 20 childcare providers in business skills, including development, marketing, finance, and human resources. Participants received $2,500 upon completion.
Fortunately, this solution did not solve the problem.
Innovative Solutions on the Table
Reeves highlighted Miami’s approach, which requires childcare centers to meet quality standards while providing retention incentives. Workers receive stipends “every six months,” but crucially, “you don’t get it if you leave to go to another childcare center.” This continuity model ensures “the same instructors and the same people at these quality facilities.”
The mayor also revealed ambitious plans to offer more childcare facilities, including the potential use of the Alice Williams Library and strategic investments in Brownsville through the city’s $5 million HUD CDBG grant.
- “What stops us from making one of those units or two of those units childcare facilities,” he asked, “so long as you keep a certain quality and you pay a dollar a year?”
Today’s summit promises to address these complex challenges through collaborative problem-solving, with Reeves expecting “lots of conversation around pay and training” and discussions about “helping these businesses that happen to take care of our children, be successful.”