TRANSFORMED THEIR LIVES. SOLEDAD: I’M SOLEDAD O’BRIEN WELCOME TO "MATTER OF FACT." FINDING AND AFFORDING CHILDCARE HAS BECOME A NHTIGMARE FOR FAMILIES. THE PANDICEM WORSENING AN ALREADY CRUMBLING SYSTEM. IN 2020, THE NATIONAL YEARLY AVERAGE COST FOR CHILDCAREAS W ABOUT $10,200 PER FAMILY. THAT’S A LOT OF MONEY, BUT IT STILL DOESN’T HELP DAYCARE PROVIDERS COVER THEIR COSTS FOR STAFF, FOR FOOD, AND FOR THE FACILI.TY AND DAYCARE EMPLOYEES CONTUEIN TO BE SOME OF THE LOWEST PAID WORKERS IN AMERICA, SOMETIMES MAKING LITTLE MORE THAN MINIMUM WAGE. OUR CORRESPONDENT LAURA AVEZCH TRAVELED TO CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, TO TALK TO ONE FAMILY AND A DAYCARE PROVIDER BOTH STRUGGLING TO MAKE IT WORK. ILY: MY HUSBAND’S ACTIVE DUTY MILITARY. AND SO, WE MOVED TO MISSISSIPPI ABOUT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO. LAURA: ILY MORENO, HER HUSBAND, MANUEL, WHO IS CURRENTLY OVERSEAS, AND THREI THREE-YEAR-OLD SON, SEBASTIAN, MOVED FROM DALLAS TO CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, FOR A NEW ASSIGNMENT WITH THE ARMY. LAURA: WHO DID YOU KNOW IN THE AREA WHEN YOU MOVED HERE? ILY: ABSOLUTELY NOBODY. AND THAT HAPPENS EVERY TIME WE MOVE. LAURA: LIVING OFF-BASE IN A COMMUNITY WHERE THEY DON’T HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM TO FALL BACK ON, ILY KNEW FINDING CHILDCARE FOR BASESTIAN WAS ESSENTIAL. ILY: NOBODY WANTED TO TAKEIM H BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, CHILDCARE I VERY LIMITED IN THE AREA. LAURA: ONE ADDITIONAL COMPLICATIONSE, BASTIAN IS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM. ILY: I TOURED FIVE OR MORE SCHOOLS, PRESCHOOLS, AND, UYO KNOW, AS SOON AS I SAID,OU Y KNOW, HE HAS SOME NEEDS, HE NEEDS SOME ACCOMMODATIONS,HE T RESPONSE WAS LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE’RE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE WHAT HE NEEDS. AND SO, IT WAS VY ERSTRESSL.FU LAURA: ADDING TO THE STRESS, ILY WAS JOB HUNTING, LOOKINGOR F WORK AS A PSYCHOTHERAPIST IN A POSITION SIMILAR TO THE ONE SHE LEFT BEHD.IN ILY: IT’S HARD BECAUSE IT HATOS HAPPEN SIMULTANEOUSLY. YOU CAN’T GET A JOB IF YOU DON’T HAVE CHILDCA. RE HOW DO YOU EVEN HAVE THE TIME TO APPLY D ANDO ALL THIS PROCESS AND THE INTERVIEWS AND ALL THAT IF YOU DON’T HAVE CHILDCA?RE LAURA: ILY ISN’T ALONE. PARENTS IN CLINTON, A CITY OF ABOUT 25,000, ARE STRUGGLING TO FI ND PRE-ELEMENTARY CHILDCARE AT ANY OF THE CITY’S 15 FACILITIES. PROVIDERS LIKE LESIA DANIEL HOLLINGSHEAD, THE OWNER FUNTIME PRESCHOOL, KNOW THEY’RE ALL FEELING PANDEMIC FALLOUT. CA N YOU TELL ME HOW THE PANDICEM IMPACTED YOUR TIME HERE AT FUNTE?IM LESIA: SO, WE HAD A TOTAL OF ALMOST 400 CHILDN.RE AND WE WENT FROM THAT ENROLLNTME TO LIKE 53 OR 63, LIKE IN A MATTER OF TWO WEEKS. LAURA: THIS DROP IN ATTENDANCE MADE IT TOUGH FOR FUNTIME. LESIA: IT WAS A STGG. RU WE HAD SOME CAPITAL SET ASIDE THAT FLOATED US UNTIL WE WERE ABLE TO GET THE PPP LOS.AN SO, A LOT OF OUR TEACHERS, A LOT OF OUR STAFF, TOOK A VOLUNTARY LEAVE OF ABSENCE BECAUSE OF HEALTH ISSUES, AND THEY WEREOT N COMFORTABLE WORKING IN PERSON. LAURA: LES HIAOPES TO BE FULLY STAFFED AGAIN SOON, BUT FINDING ALQUIFIED WORKERS IS TOUGH WITH HER FINANCIAL CONSTRAIS.NT LESIA’S EMPLOYEES MAKE BETWEEN $13 AND $14 AN HOUR, WHICHS I ABOVE THE STATE’S MINIMUM WAGE $7.OF25. BUT TO KEEP EMPLOYEE PAY AND OTHER COSTS WHERE THEY ARE, FAMILIES PAY ABOUT $170 PER WEEK, PER CHILD, WHICH IS BARELY -- LESIA: WHEN TACO BELL IS STARTING YOU OFF AT $15 AN HOUR, I CAN’T DO THAT WITHOUT INCREASING TUITION ON ROU FAMILIES. AND OUR FAMILIES ARE NOT IN POSITION TO PAY MORE FOR ILCHDCARE. LAURA: ACROSS THE U.S., NOT BEING ABLE TO PAY QUALIFIED EMPLOYEES MORE MONEY MAKES HIRING DIFFICU.LT AND THAT’S A MAJOR ISESU ACCORDING TO DR. LYNETTE FRAGA, THE CEO OF CHILDCARE AWARE OF AMERICA. DR. FRAGA: EVEN BEFOREHE T PANDEMIC, WE REALLY DID NOT HAVE ENOUGH EARLY CARE AND EDUCATION PROGRAMS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF PARENTS WHO WANTED TO WORK OGOR BACK TO SCHOOL. WE SAW UPWARDS OF 16,000 ELYAR CARE AND EDUCATION PROAMGR CLOSED PERNEMANTLY. THERE IS ALSO A REAL SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGE IN THE PRICE OF CARE AND THE ACCESS TO THAT CE.AR AND THERE ARE SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES IN SUPPORTING THE WORKFORCE. LAURA: WHAT’S THE SOLUTION? DR. FRA:AG THE FIRST PART THAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS IN ORDER TO COME TO A SOLUTION IS TO ENSUR THAT WE ARE AWARE AND WE ACKNOWLEDGE THAT CHILDCARES I ISSUE THAT EVERYONE NEEDTOS FOCUS ON. LAURA: AT ANY GIVEN TIME, FUNTIME HAS A 100-PERSON WAINGTI LIST OF KIDS THEY CAN’T HE DUELP TO STAFFING ISSUES. LESIA: WE’RE IN A GOOD PLACE WHERE PEOPLE WANT OUR SERVICES. BUT IF WE’RE NOT ABLE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES, THEY’RE GOING TO GO ELSHEEWRE. LAURA: WHICH BRINGS US BACK TO ILY AND SEBASTIAN. AFTER SEVEN MONTHS ON A WAITLIST, FUNTIME WAS ABLE TO SECURE A SPOT FOR SEBASTN.IA ILY: IT BRINGS A LOT OF LIFE-WORK BALANCE TO OUR LIFE AND A LOT MORE, YOU KN, QUALITY OF LIFE OVERALL. LAURA: IN CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, FOR "MATTER OF FACT," I’M LAURA CHAVEZ