Testimony of Michelle Bodden before the NYS ACS on Labor, Children & Families On Access to Quality Child Care for Working Families: Nov 7, 2007
Nov 7, 2007 10:43 AM
Good morning. My name is Michelle Bodden, and I am the United Federation of Teachers Vice President for Elementary Schools. On behalf of our president, Randi Weingarten, I’d like to thank you for the opportunity to address this important issue today.
I’m happy to report that Gov. Spitzer’s executive order last May authorizing the unionization of subsidized home day care providers in New York State has led to 28,000 of them in New York City voting in October to join the UFT, and for that we say thanks again to the Governor and all of the elected officials who supported the effort. The historic inclusion of the providers pushes our ranks past the 200,000 worker mark, making us the largest union local in the nation.
But more importantly, becoming part of a powerful labor union has boosted the morale of our providers and energized their campaign to be recognized and compensated for the important work they do as children’s first teachers. For one thing, it has encouraged them to embark on a path to becoming part of New York City’s middle class with better pay and benefits they currently lack.
Keep in mind the 28,000 New York City providers we represent are among the lowest-paid workers in the region. A 2006 study by the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) shows that the average annual wage for family and group family providers in the city is $19,333 with no health benefits or pensions. The federal poverty level for a family of four is about $19,000. For years, the government funding for subsidized child care has been static despite continual increases in the cost of living. These programs will need more funding if they are to succeed.
You cannot treat subsidized child care as a zero-sum game. Too often providers are told that if they are to receive more money per child there will be fewer slots for children. We cannot pit parents against providers in this fashion. These parents deserve quality child care and their children deserve quality education. This will happen only if providers can earn a decent living.
Currently their low pay stands in stark contrast to the importance of the crucial work they do providing the child care that allows many heads of poor and single-parent families to forego public assistance and become productive members of the workforce. So improving the wages and working conditions will not only help the providers raise their own economic standing; it could also convince more people to become providers offering the child care that will free more people who would otherwise stay home with their young children to join the workforce.
New York is now the eighth state to allow home day care providers to unionize, but it is important to note here that the providers in New York City are not simply joining a union, they are joining an education union, a connection that offers huge potential for their training and professional development. It also bodes well for the children they care for because studies show that investments in early childhood education produce huge long-term returns in terms of reduced needs for special education, social services and incarceration.
Joining our union also has made the providers more determined than ever to take advantage of the high-quality training and professional development the UFT offers to help them improve their skills as care givers and first teachers of thousands of children from needy families.
They are excited, enthused and eager to continue the campaign they started two years ago to become real professionals offering quality care and early education to the city’s poorest kids. Their future is certainly brighter now as a result of them becoming part of the union, and they look forward to becoming the best they can be. The vitality and excitement coursing through the ranks of the providers at this time can only be a boon to any recruiting efforts here in the city now that they can claim membership in America’s biggest union local.
We at the UFT will certainly be doing all we can to spread the word throughout the city to attract the most dedicated and qualified providers, and we will give them access to the best training available. Right now we are in the process of surveying them to determine their needs, concerns and priorities before we seek to begin contract talks with the state Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).
About 6,000 of New York City’s 28,000 home day care providers are licensed. The rest are license-exempt. All of them work hard to provide the best possible care for the children they serve.
The union is already taking steps to ensure that children being served by our providers are safe because we know all too well that real education cannot occur unless safety is assured.
We worked with the New York City Department of Health in conjunction with OCFS to change an inconsistent system of inspections to develop a clear and consistent set of standards embodied in a written checklist for inspectors and providers to make sure children are housed in safe environments conducive to their physical care and their social and educational development. So even though providers do not know when they will be inspected, they will know what inspectors will check for and what is expected of them.
Because we are committed to helping the providers hone their skills and providing them with professional support, we are confident that they will improve upon the great work they are already doing, and we support the idea of creating a statewide rating system to promote quality child care.
The UFT is currently working with Winning Beginning NY, an early child care and education coalition, the New York City Union Child Care Coalition and others on workforce issues affecting the providers. One of the most important issues is training and professional development for providers, and we strongly support a state investment in such programs. Such training is essential. We support the concept of enhanced pay linked to training and professional development that is universal and equal. We will support any program designed to increase quality that is based on this concept and reflects the diversity of child care settings.
We also want the providers to know that they have many professional supports and resources available to them. As they develop their skills with the union’s help, we expect that the majority of these dedicated and caring individuals ultimately will be well-ranked in any statewide rating system.
Thank you. I’ll be happy to respond to any questions or comments.
