skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Dire State for Child-Care Workers in Idaho

play audio
Play

Monday, February 13, 2017   

BOISE, Idaho -- As the halfway mark in this year's legislative session approaches, issues such as the state's surplus and tax cuts are making headlines. But that could be obscuring one important issue affecting Idaho parents: The dire state of many of the state’s child care providers.

A study by IdahoSTARS showed that more than 60 percent of child care worker respondents made salaries that placed them below the poverty line, and more than 45 percent had no paid benefits.

Janice Fletcher, a professor at the University of Idaho who helped prepare the study, said child care workers bear a great responsibility for children.

"It's both care and education,” Fletcher said. "They're right there providing a satisfying, healthy childhood, as well as helping children meet their potential for learning and readiness for their future experiences."

According to the study, nearly 40 percent of providers make less than $15,000 a year. The median income for Idaho households is about $47,000. Nearly three-quarters of child care programs operate from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. five days a week.

Emotional fatigue and low salaries are the main drivers of burnout among child care providers.

Workers in the child care industry tend to be highly educated, though their compensation does not necessarily reflect this. More than half have education beyond high school, and one-quarter are working toward a college degree.

While it’s crucial that legislators are aware of the struggle of child care workers in the state, Fletcher said it’s important that the business sector understands it too.

"It's important for the business and industry community to see that these are the kinds of things that families are facing when they have providers that are in poverty themselves, or who have no sick days or no vacation days or no health insurance,” she said, "and they are taking their children to that place.”

IdahoSTARS provides opportunities for child care workers to advance in their careers - including help in furthering their education, and a program called Steps to Quality, which helps care workers on the job improve their knowledge and skills.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021