Pensacola explores Miami-Dade model for $3,000 worker stipends as mayor pledges city dollars and facilities to address childcare crisis.
Following the second childcare summit, Mayor D.C. Reeves provided an update on the city’s efforts to tackle Pensacola’s childcare challenges, revealing a focus on proven solutions and collaborative funding approaches during his July 22 press conference.
- Mayor Reeves acknowledged the complexity of moving from broad discussions to concrete solutions. “So Theresa (Theresa Cserep, the city’s education and youth programs officer) and I have been meeting about it. I think what we’re doing, which is very common in these larger groups, lots of ideas now. It’s about distilling what those ideas are.”
The fundamental issues haven’t changed since the first summit in May. The July 9 meeting focused on tactics. “I don’t think the themes changed very much in raising the pay of the people who are watching our most precious thing, which is our kids. How do we get that pay more competitive, and how do we foster growth in terms of access, whether that’s business help or facilities?”
Miami-Dade Model Shows Promise
Mayor Reeves is exploring the adoption of a proven approach from Miami-Dade County, Thrive by 5. “I will tell you since those two meetings, I am leaning towards that Miami-Dade pay program mainly because it’s got a proven track record, and it’s already been done, including with buy-in from a children’s trust.”
- The Miami-Dade program offers substantial financial incentives: “Every six months, the Miami-Dade Trust gives up a $3,000 stipend to workers. So long as the facility itself meets a certain quality threshold, and that person has to have stayed six months.”
The mayor is impressed with the program’s sophisticated infrastructure and retention requirements. Workers cannot simply move between facilities to collect multiple stipends. “They can’t be bouncing every six months, even if they’re all quality childcares,” Reeves explained. “The idea is to retain them at a quality childcare facility and retain them at that facility where we know that continuity is a very good thing for parents and it’s a good thing for the kids.”
- The existing technology impressed the mayor: “What’s really cool is they’ve got the technology right now to basically that childcare worker has an app, it’s a button goes into a checking account, it’s in English and Spanish.”
City Commitment and Funding Strategy
Mayor Reeves reaffirmed the city’s financial commitment to addressing childcare challenges. “I made that clear to them that we certainly are ready to be dedicating dollars and facilities to help bridge that gap.”
The funding strategy involves both city resources and Escambia Children’s Trust’s Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) funds.
- In June, the City of Pensacola formally notified the Escambia Children’s Trust (Trust) to remit tax increment revenues (TIF) generated within the City’s Community Redevelopment Areas (CRAs), plus interest and late fees. Total invoice: $2,448,905. Deadline: July 31. CRA Calculations.
Mayor Reeves said the city would extend the deadline to give the City time to hone its childcare strategy and tactics. “Let’s sit down with the Trust, make sure that those are things that they feel comfortable with because that’s what I’ve really pledged since the beginning is that I wanted this not to be us going and telling the Trust what we want, but to try to make it as collaborative as possible.”
He added, “If we do this right, our community, the Trust and the city, the mayor, the administration should all be equally excited about the promise of this project. That is my ultimate goal. I can’t assure that’s going to happen, but that is my plan for now is that we will sit down, come up with those, we’ll collaborate with the Trust and get an agreement.”
Thrive by 5 Early Learning Quality Improvement System
