Daycare Childcare Solution

In January of 2023, it has been determined that there are more than 58,000 daycare worker job openings in the U.S. and that parents pay anywhere between $8,000 to $17,000 or more or one-fifth of their income on daycare per child. My solution may seem very simple, but that is what I do best, so here it goes…

I think that children who are newborns to pre-K should have a school-based daycare open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week located at every public school in the nation. The daycare workers would be certified by the state and paid using the mills (tax) collected in every county used for the public school system. The workers could be trained to care for our younger population much the same way regular K-12 teachers or college professionals are trained. They could even have mental or psychological certification helping our little ones achieve a greater sense of self-worth, confidence, and good social behaviors. We would know how the daycare is performing as the entire “classroom”, each area, is live streaming so parents or guardians, and public officials, may at any time watch and hear what is going on in each room.

All 24 hour, seven days per week, daycare workers and janitorial workers, 24 hour security officers, diapers, food (except mother’s breast milk unless surrogate is used), drinks, nurse access with immediate intervention medicine, domestic violence reporting access point and processing, mental health referrals (children or guardians), behavioral intervention methods or daycare personnel for disabled children who may have Autism, ADHD, or other difficult physical or mental health problems, toys and educational materials, cots, pillows, and bedding, daily hygiene products and bathing routines, busing, and video streaming are paid for using the county, and sometimes state or federal, funding. The state or federal funding comes in handy when caring for disabled children or preemies or when expansion of infrastructure is necessary to accommodate regional access to services, such as transportation or vans to pick up and deliver children, just like other public-school children are bused.

All services are clearly outlined for this national daycare program as standard services and buildings with 24 hour, seven days per week, childcare for every community based on the population and how fast the community is expected to expand within the next ten years. Remember, this solution is focused on including all children, no matter how young or disabled, to the public school system in every state. This means that no school may opt out of this new funding, planning, and implementation to service citizens’ children in their local community. If public schooling is offered in the county or community, then they must also budget for expansion of total daycare buildings, workers, and busing.

This solution provides solid foundations for our children while at the same time giving parents relief as they go to work or even just run the house. Any citizen of the county can sign up any child for daycare at school for an eight hour to ten-hour length. This assures that parents do not simply dump their children at the school doors and permanently leave them at the daycare. I mean, seriously, the parents are technically still responsible for their own children, we simply want to give them secure, safe, responsible, and affordable childcare. I am not against total childcare or a boarding school type system availability, but that kind of childcare would be the kind of decision made on the state or federal level. 

Some people cannot take care of their child and should take their child to an orphanage or call the Department of Human Services, a government program meant to house and care for unwanted or orphaned children. This solution can give parents a place to take their children if they need to go out of town or must be gone for longer periods of time, like for those in the Military, Coast Guard, Firefighting, or National Guard. They can always call their child, facetime with their child, watch their child while away, and then pick them up as soon as they get back home. What a relief!

To pay for this solution, it may be necessary to increase the mills in the county (not as much as you think), but it is still less expensive than traditional daycare and safer. Also, it gives families increased budgets to afford local products and services; thereby, increasing expenditures in the county. This is a circular solution where what goes around comes around. You give to the county, the county gives to the citizen, the citizen gives back to the county. It is a win-win for all concerned. 

How much is it worth to you, the parent, to know that when you drop off your child at daycare that you can check in on them at any time, you can call daycare saying you will be late and do not have to pay extra, and that the doors to the daycare are not glass and have a ring doorbell and other verification features providing a safe place for your child to go? The daycare can also be made so that there are only emergency exits, no windows, but have plenty of playground treed green space, walled to keep out the crazies.

Does it cost something up front to build these daycare facilities on school grounds? Yes. Will you be able to drop off your children and be confident they will still be alive when you go to pick them back up? Yes. Can the county build several daycare facilities beside every level of public school: kindergarten, grade school, middle school, and high school? Yes. And you can finally breathe a sigh of relief, both mentally and financially.

Now. Keep in mind that my other solutions found on the Solutions page in the easy access menu are also deserving of consideration for communities to tailor each one to what they feel would be best suited for their citizens. And I know that I have given a No Public Schools and Welfare Solution that addresses this problem, but I believe in giving people choices, and sometimes, many possibilities. The recent problem with the lack of qualified daycare workers may be more about Covid than just about lack of pay, but I think another concern is the stress associated within the daycare community as they juggle too many children with too few workers and too many rules. The parents are not saying as much, but they are extremely stressed out as they juggle children, family, finances, house, and work.

We can fix this. It does take collaboration, planning, organization, and agreement to make this system a reality. Is it viable? Yes. Are we able to make it happen? Yes. If you are truly concerned about your children, you can see how this solution empties the chaos and stress from your and your family’s life. Demand change. Be the change. Call your school board members, representatives, congress members, friends, and family. Tell them about what this solution means to you both personally and professionally. Then, come back here and tell me so that I can be assured that it works for you and your child. I did not charge you a dime for this solution. It is free to read and implement, however, I would appreciate anything you can afford to send me to help me help everyone else. It is a circular solution.

© Copyright, Daycare Childcare Solution, 2/6/2023, April Graves-Minton, Love MoonEagle. All Rights Reserved.