The Child Care Business Podcast
The Child Care Business Podcast
Season 5, Episode 3: Advocating for ECE in Washington and Closer to Home, with Michele Schmitt
Michele Schmitt is the senior director of government relations and business development for Procare Solutions. In this role, she meets with legislators and other stakeholders in early childhood education to advocate for the industry and stay on top of what's happening in government, both at the federal and local levels, in policy and proposals.
In this episode, Michele breaks down a recent visit to Capitol Hill and gives an update of what child care center leaders and families should be paying attention to in the coming months.
She also explains initiatives happening in different states to come up with solutions for needed funding and delves into how shared services can help child care providers run their businesses.
For more information on what grants and resources are available in your state, check out the Procare Solutions state resources page to see what options you have for funding help!
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Speaker 2:Hello everyone, and welcome to the Childcare Business Podcast. My name is Leah Woodbury, and we are so happy to have you join us today. We are thrilled to have on this episode, Michelle Schmidt with us. She is ProCare Solutions Senior Director of Government Relations and Business Development. So she does a lot of things in this job, and a big part of her work is advocating for ECE at the government level. So today she's gonna fill us in on what's happening in Washington and beyond with childcare funding, just a small little subject, you know, <LAUGH> and other PO and other policy changes that childcare center leaders need to know about. So, welcome, Michelle.
Speaker 3:Thank you. I'm glad to be here.
Speaker 2:Oh, great. Well, we always like to start these podcasts, getting a little bit of background on our guests. So could you tell us what led you down the ECE path?
Speaker 3:Sure. So , um, many years ago, I think 31 we're talking about now , um, uh, 1994, I was actually a , uh, afterschool teacher during college, and literally , um, just continued the path. I don't think I ever imagined that my life would probably end up in ECE. Um, I think I ended up there by accident , um, but enjoyed every minute of it. Um, so I've been in the industry since 1994 from the afterschool teacher up to , um, regional and corporate operations , um, across 8, 9, 10 states at one point, and the entire United States at one point. So, yeah, it's been a , it's been an indus , uh, a very interesting journey, for sure.
Speaker 2:Yeah. So you've seen a lot of change then I have during that time. Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Okay . <laugh> . Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Absolutely. So speak . So let's shift a little bit mm-hmm . Um, and get some background on what's going on as far as ECE and government funding. Right . It's a big question, but can you walk us through the government funding and policy changes that we've seen in the last few years, and maybe start with federal funding?
Speaker 3:Sure. So on the federal funding side, I don't think it's , um, any secret that, obviously through covid , um, in the last five years, we've seen a huge shift in that kind of funding, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . So during Covid, it was more about preserving the industry , um, stabilizing it through a period which was very uncertain for families, employers, employees. Um, I think that five years really redefined not only the industry, but also family choice, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, it was, where are we going, what are we gonna do, and how are we gonna get there? Um, when it came to families and their children and education, so the, I think the , on the federal side, they felt the need to really make sure that there was some stable ground right through that period so that we could get through it. So when we came out of it, we were not necessarily in a better place, but at least where we started, right before Covid hit , um, a lot of money was put into the industry , um, during the Covid period. Um, and I mean, we saw some, like C-C-D-B-G , which is the Childcare Development Block grant, which is generally kind of that state bank account that the federal government gives the state and says, okay, here's your money. Uhhuh <affirmative> . Um , we saw about a $725 million increase in , in that grant during that time period of covid, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, and really kind of understanding what that's going to look like even after that. Um, I think that the unfortunate part is it didn't necessarily , um, put us in a better place, the childcare industry , um, because it suffered so much through the last five years that I think that was a , a drop in the hat, right? Kind of a penny in the jar. Um, and so now what we're looking at is, okay, now that we've got the situation where we either have childcare industry that has childcare providers that have closed, because they could not sustain through that time period, even with that amount of funding. And then at the same time, we've got the other side of the coin where we've got families that can't afford it, right? There's this gap of , um, what it costs to run it and what a family can actually afford. Um, I know a lot of people call it a sweet spot. I don't, it's not so sweet <laugh> , um, because it's that , it's that part that, you know, families are starting to make choices between this or that, and unfortunately, childcare is usually part of that conversation. Um, and making decisions on whether or not both, both parents are gonna work or not work. Um, so all of those aspects kind of fall into that federal funding bucket discussion. Um, and I think states are trying to really understand what that looks like for their constituents and their families and their state, because every state operates just a little bit different. So I , you know, I think, you know, is there a magic number that will pull it to a better place? I don't know. I, I think it's, it's going to be a long-term , um, investment on the federal government side and really kind of assessing what that support looks like. Um, I don't think it's handing out, you know, millions and millions of dollars without some sort of kind of boundaries of here's where we want this invested, here's where we want this to go. Um, I think there needs to be guidance around that , um, so that we can make sure it's a long term investment situation, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah. And so that's a great primer on what's happening federally, and you, you started touching on this, what about at the state level?
Speaker 3:Yeah, so at the state level, you know, every state operates differently, right? Yeah . Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , they , they have the autonomy to be able to understand what they need to do with their funding that they get from the federal government. So every state does something a little differently. You have some that kind of spread that leadership down to the local level. Like in Florida , um, in Texas, you've got 30 different organizations in the state that are responsible for that funding, and then they handle how that goes into their markets and to their families and to their providers. Um, and then you have other states where they handle it at the state level, right? Um, where it's one big bucket and they decide, okay, here's where we're gonna put this money, here's where we're gonna put this money, and here's where we're gonna put this money. So every state, that's probably a little bit, it's, it's kind of a puzzle where you don't necessarily have all the pieces because every state's gonna do it a little bit differently. Um, and so I think it would just depend on, you know, the specific state that we may be talking about, right? Um, every state , um, understands it's an issue. Every state wants it to be a priority. Um, whether or not they decide to offer tax credits or , um, do C-C-D-B-G , which is the childcare Block development grant, which usually supports funding for families that can't afford childcare mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, then they decide where they wanna put that money and how is it going to help, you know, their families and their providers. So, like I said, every state's a little bit different, and I think some states have been focused on mixed delivery. What does mixed delivery look like? I think mixed delivery is, you know, elementary schools being able to provide some sort of childcare , um, UPK, private schools, nonprofits , um, for-profits , um, that all of those pieces are really needed in order to really fit the need of the families that are in that state. And so they, you know, have to figure out what does that look like and how do we support it? Um , and I think some states are actually moving, being very creative in the space because their understanding that their economy in their state is very reliant on the childcare industry, right? Yep . It's if that, if those employees that they wanna hire don't have childcare, then hiring that employee becomes difficult, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. And so all of a sudden, I think even after Covid childcare has been at the table of all the state leaders in some form or fashion , um, and so, you know, we're talking about childcare deserts, right? So we've had many childcare providers close as a result of not being able to sustain their business. So it's kind of created this , um, conundrum around, we don't have enough childcare, but if we did, are we still able to make it affordable so that families will wanna work and go to work and leave their child in childcare , right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um , so all looks a little bit different. Some states, like I said, to go back to my first comment , I think some states have actually been creative around, okay, how do we do a longstanding sustainability, you know , um, support and some have, have even talked about doing a payroll tax in their state that is specifically dedicated to the childcare arena.
Speaker 2:Was that Vermont? Was Vermont doing that? Am I remembering that right? It was Vermont . Okay .
Speaker 3:Yeah . Yeah. So Vermont has created this , um, you know, payroll tax for long-term support in their state , um, which is creative, and I don't know that we've ever heard of such a thing, right? That's very dedicated funding and very focused on one of the issues that they feel is part of their, you know, issue in their state to get employees back to work.
Speaker 2:Can you give a couple of other example ?
Speaker 3:Excuse me?
Speaker 2:Oh, yeah. Can you give a couple other examples of what some, some of the creative ,
Speaker 3:Um , things
Speaker 2:Happening? Yeah . So,
Speaker 3:Yeah. So Iowa is another one. Um, the Iowa leadership, state of Iowa leadership have really invested, I believe it was somewhere to the tune of, I may be wrong, but $8 million, I believe, okay . Um , where they went in and revamped their entire funding , um, machine, right? So the, all of their , um, programs and their systems were not linked together, right? Okay . So you had, you know, you had the subsidy funding system over here. You had the , um, food program system over here. You had , um, you know , uh, all the children focused and family focused systems were not connected. So he came in and he said, I want all of those to be connected. We need to have kind of one brain system brain in the middle that everything is connected. So it comes through so that those systems can talk so that we can, you know , when we make legislation changes or , um, we wanna invest, then it affects all parts of the system, not just one part over here or one part over here, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . And so it's called the C3 , um, very creative. A lot of states are looking to Iowa as, you know, part of that , um, you know, really creative approach to how we support the industry. Um, you see some things coming out of Indiana, Montana, most recently, Montana's trying to support , um, the childcare industry. They do not have a lot of coordinated childcare , you know, focus in Montana, haven't, and so recently they have created this , um, system to be able to do some business coaching around, you know, childcare and what that looks like and how they can impact that business in their state. Um, because as you know, Montana's very widespread. Yeah. So , um, a lot of land <laugh>
Speaker 2:A lot.
Speaker 3:It's still a lot of families and children to take care of. So , um, you're just hearing those conversations come out , um, at the state level. And those are conversations I'm having with state leaders to talk about, you know, what we can do to support them in that, you know, process and how do they move forward. Um, some of the other states, Arizona , um, another state that has done some very interesting , um, projects around , uh, connection, API connections and getting the money, the subsidy funding to the provider quicker, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . So that billing, you know, getting rid of that lag in time from the time that a child attends. And then if they're a subsidy family or a subsidy child that's getting support from the state, then how do we get that money from the state back to the provider for providing that care? Because there is, there has been historically this gap of 30 to 45 days and just a paperwork processing, right? So it's really a large discussion around automation , um, and what does that look like, and how do we help states do that? So that is coming out of a lot . Texas is another one that's doing that. Um, so definitely a lot of interesting conversations and people really having , um, some out of the box thinking when it came to the industry. I don't think it's a one size fits all . I think it's going to take many ideas coming to the table and figuring out what fits , um, and how we're best going to, you know, preserve the industry.
Speaker 2:Yeah. That's gonna be really interesting to see mm-hmm <affirmative> . Which ones take off in the next few years and absolutely . Really show they can work mm-hmm <affirmative> .
Speaker 3:Mm-hmm . Absolutely. For sure.
Speaker 2:And you recently returned from a trip to Washington with a bunch of other ECE leaders mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , can you talk about what you were, what you were doing there, and what kind of response you got, who you met with, everything you can share? Yeah ,
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. So, quarterly we get together , um, we sit on the board for the ECEC , um, and we get together quarterly to discuss kind of what's going on in the industry, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, and what better place to do that than at the heart of the nation, right? In Washington dc And part of the reason we do that is because we wanna be at a arms length of the leaders that are making the decisions mm-hmm <affirmative> . And as part of our meetings, we actually schedule a hill day, which means all of us in the room this year or this recent Q1 , um, meeting, we had about 60 to 65 , um, people at the table. And we actually had scheduled 60 plus meetings with either members or , uh, leaders in the Senate and the house. Um, and basically what happens is, is we go up on, you know , one day outta the three day meeting, we are dedicated to going up to the hill and going from meeting to meeting , talking to leaders about what the industry needs, what's important to providers, what's important to families, what's important to, you know, some of the, you know, the supply providers, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, and we have the loudest voices in the room, and we have the, the lowest voices in the room, right? We have people that are representing family childcare, we have people that are representing corporate childcare. We have everybody in the middle. Um, and so we really have discussions with those leaders around what it looks like, what it feels like, kind of the word on the street, and , um, what does the industry need , um, and where do they go from here? It's not something they probably think about every day , but it's something we think about every day. And so we really try to bring that to the forefront and have those conversations with those leaders and say, you know, here's what the future should look like. Here's what we need to make that happen. Um, here's what our families are suffering with. Here's what our providers are suffering with, and we need to figure out how to bring that all together and really, you know, come to a better place in the industry. Yeah . Um , and we talk about bills that have been drawn up , um, by some of the committee members, and , um, what bills we support, what bills we provide, kind of color around that. What does that mean, right? So, yeah . When , when a leader looks at a bill or looks at a proposal and a committee meeting, you know, it's okay, what does this mean for my families of Georgia, of Florida, of Texas, of California, of Indiana mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , and who is there to represent all of that to say, here's what's happening. Here's what we know, and here's what we believe could be best. Right? Um, and really encouraging them and kind of arming them with their , um, story or argument to bring to the committee or to the floor to say, yes, we need to pass this bill. Yes, this needs to go, and here's why. So we're providing them kind of that narrative around that and hoping that it makes it far. So
Speaker 2:What kind of response did you get during these meetings?
Speaker 3:Great response. I think . I don't think there's, I don't think there's anyone that we talk to that doesn't have a child in their life, doesn't have a parent in their life, doesn't have a teacher in their life, right? Uhhuh , <affirmative> . So I, I think we really hit kind of some of those nerves around, you know, this hits home for everybody. There's nobody in this room that doesn't have exposure to any one of those pieces. Um, and, you know, the response is , wow, I'd never really thought about it that way. Or if they are a leader of the discussion, right? 'cause they do have education committee members that we spoke to, they are very in tune with it. And they're like, okay, tell me more about this, because I, I really want to understand that. I really wanna bring that to the floor. I really wanna make sure that I'm really in tune with what's happening today mm-hmm <affirmative> . And what could happen tomorrow. So tell me more about X, Y , ZPDQ , right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . So you , it's kind of, you , it runs the gamut. You have those that have not maybe be , maybe they've been focused on other, you know, topics or discussions, and childcare's been there, but not like at the top. Um, those are saying, wow, I, I never really thought about that. Others are like, I absolutely have thought about this. I live this every day, and I wanna know more, and I wanna hear about it. So I think we heard, generally everyone cares about it. I don't think there's not, there's one person up there that says, oh, it's not important. That absolutely is not the case. Um, everybody believes it's important. Everybody wants to find answers. It's just a matter of finding out what the right answer is , um, and what , what the right mix is. So , um, it was good news. It was very energetic. I think , um, you know, going in there kind of reignites the passion that I've had for this industry for 31 years. And so every, I never imagined, you know, back in 1994 or 2000 that I would ever be walking the streets of DC and walking into a representative's office and saying, here's why this is important, and here's why we need to do this. Um, I never imagined myself in that space, but , um, I think if you're that passionate about something, then you take action, right? Yeah. Um , and that's, you know, part of the reason why I joined ProCare. I wanted to have impact. I wanted to have a different level of impact mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , and so it , it's very energizing to go up there and represent, you know, all the people that we do , um, the providers, the families, the teachers, the business owners, the states for that matter mm-hmm <affirmative> . Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , it's very energizing
Speaker 2:And to be around all the other people in the industry too. I mean, oh , yeah. That have the same, the same passion as you do.
Speaker 3:Yeah, absolutely. And we definitely, you know, this time we did have a, a reception , um, at the Hill mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , the first five years fund , um, sponsored it. And we had some leaders come in, some representatives come in and talk to the group, and it was everyone from across the industry, not just the ECEC group, it was people from all over, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , all the nonprofits, all the , um, state leadership, all , um, you know, we had some shared services representatives in there. We had , um, any aspect that touches childcare , we, they were in there. I enjoyed , you know, multiple conversations with providers that came that really want their voice heard, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . So one provider out of Montana has , um, actually expanded her business, and she's a family provider, and she had her house. She decided, you know, there wasn't childcare when she had her children, and so she decided to open her home up for childcare. Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Well, she now, four years later, has purchased three homes around her in addition to her home. And she actually has, in essence, five childcare centers right there in, in her, you know, on the land that she owns. Um , wow. Which was interesting. Yeah. I mean, you look at , you look at somebody who's, you know, you talk about being creative, right? And she was telling us all about kind of what each home, what age group is in each home, and how she manages it, and what support she needs in order to do that. And, you know, we just really encouraged her. We were, we were very fortunate to come across her path, and , um, we encouraged her and thanked her for being creative and being , um, brave and stepping out there to help her, you know, her neighborhood and her mm-hmm <affirmative> . Families that are around her. And she offers high quality childcare to the families of Montana. And, you know, we definitely encouraged her, and she's getting ready to open a center , um, like a one site center. And so she's gonna be pulling those in there and then providing her homes as , um, rental opportunities for her teachers, right? Because it is in the industry, the teachers don't make what they absolutely deserve to make, right. Because we have this, you know, what parents can afford and what we, you know, need to run the business. And she felt like it was important for her to take kind of that next step and say, if any of my teachers need, you know, a place to rent or whatever, then that's an opportunity that she could take those homes after she moves into her center and actually rent those out to teachers so that they can continue to stay with her. And that's how she keeps, you know, that's kind of her employee longevity plan, right? Yeah . Investing in her employees . So very creative, very, it's amazing what you come across in this industry , um, with people and what they're willing to do and put on the line in order to help families and , um, help children.
Speaker 2:Yeah. I think that commitment is something you don't see in a lot of other industries. No , for sure. For sure. No ,
Speaker 3:Very , very interesting.
Speaker 2:And you, you touched a little bit on shared services, and I wondered if you would mind talking maybe just a little bit about that. I think that's something a lot of people really aren't aware of . Sure . And yeah, if you could just kind of give a quick overview of what it is, what you're seeing, I think that might really help the conversation too.
Speaker 3:Absolutely. So shared services , um, has really kind of surfaced over the last, I would say probably the last 10 years. We've probably seen a , a huge uptick in this. Um , because the industry is so strapped when it comes to , um, uh, being able to really afford kind of all the services that you need to run a business, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Your hr, your marketing, your, you know, all the things, right? Your finance department, all those things. And, and for a highly regulated business that that's risky, right? It's like, okay, understanding one person that owns it. I am the marketing, I am the hr, I am the CFO, I am the CEO . Um, so what has happened is these states, again, another creative way, right? States and nonprofit organizations have come together and said, how do we support that? How do we help these business owners that are kind of the one, one and all, they're everything to their business mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, and so they've created these opportunities and funding opportunities for shared services to actually do business coaching and provide some of that kind of back office administrative support, right? Everything from, like I said, HR to , um, automation to , uh, teacher training to quality, you know, how to improve quality in your business, all the things that go into making a business very successful, at least in the childcare industry. Yeah . Um , and so these shared services have come up and have really kind of gathered the resources for their local , um, groups to be able to support the industry and somehow give them that boost they need in order to sustain their business. Um, and so you'll see that across, you know, you see states creating those shared services in the space of , um, the funding, like the, you know, Florida and the Texas. Um, and then you also have nonprofits coming up of people that really kind of wanna have that next level , um, touch on the industry. And so they're going out and seeking grants and , um, getting foundations to come in and support to actually open up kind of a nonprofit , um, childcare shared service going in and helping boost all those levers, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, because it's very hard for one owner to be able to boost all those levers at the same time , um, without some sort of support or some sort of help outside the center or outside the home. Um, so yeah, that shared service space is becoming a very hot topic. Yeah. Um , I think we're going to see that increase , um, astronomically over the next couple of years, because I think that that's going to be that thoroughfare of, okay, if this then this, right? So it's, we can do funding, however we need to offer some business coaching around how, what does that funding do and where do we put it, and how do we get the most bang for our buck, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative>. Um , it's how do we improve quality? Quality has become a big topic as well , um, because obviously childcare is childcare, which is a benefit to parents, but at the same time, you're educating the leaders of tomorrow. Yeah. Right? So that's a heavy lift. I mean, and so we wanna make sure that anybody who is opening a childcare center is thinking has quality at front of mind, right? Quality in employees, quality in in environments, quality in education , um, curriculum, all the things , um, that make that business successful. Um, so yeah, I think shared services is gonna be a hot topic for a long time , um, from here on out. Um, and we'll continue to see that , uh, group grow, I think, not only on the state level, but then on a local level as well , um, and on the foundation level.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Yeah. So based on what you've seen in your work, the people you've spoken with, what, what you heard in DC mm-hmm <affirmative> . What are some of the biggest bills or other issues that ECE leaders need to be keeping track of? And I'm sure there's a long, long, long list. Oh , there is . Yeah .
Speaker 3:There is , um, probably the two hottest topics, which are the topics that we talked about when we were there. Um, uhhuh <affirmative> , you know, a couple of weeks ago , um, was the , uh, C-D-C-D-C-T-C <laugh>, I have to say that 10 times my without chirping . Yeah. Um, and basically what that is, is the , um, child dependent care tax credit. So C-D-C-T-C , um, you'll hear about it, you'll hear many leaders talking about it. Um, basically what that is, is there's an allowance that allows parents to write off , um, childcare expenses, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um, and that has not been rewritten or touched in over 20 years. And so much of our conversations when we were in DC was around this tax credit and understanding this is a way that we can help families because it , it's kind of a, it's an opportunity to give some of their money back around the investments that they make all year long, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . Into their children and their children's education. So , um, basically what we did was we asked the bill had , the bill has been written , um, and we went in offering support around that to actually double that for families , um, up to $6,000 and $12,000 for two plus children families. Um, so basically giving them that tax credit at the end of the year when they file their taxes, they're able to write those , um, expenses off. Um, we believe that that would be a huge opportunity for parents , um, to give them some of their money back and , and some of their tax obligation , um, and at the same time give them some relief, right? Yeah. Um, so that's probably one of the, the larger , um, pieces of discussion on the hill right now is the C-D-C-T-C <laugh>. Okay ? Okay . Child dependent care, tech credit . Okay . The second one is , um, section 45 F , um, section 45 F is on the employer side of , um, of the childcare businesses. Um, so basically it's offering a , um, tax credit to employers that provide some sort of childcare benefit, right? Oh, okay. So whether it's constructing, renovating and onsite , um, we know not everybody's gonna be able to do that. Um, but also offsetting operating costs for a childcare center , um, or even contracting with a childcare provider near maybe an office space , um, that gives that employer the opportunity to actually get a tax credit for doing that. Um, so it's twofold, right? Mm-hmm <affirmative> . It's giving that employer the opportunity to have some tax benefit, but then it's also kind of forcing the hand to offer some sort of employer benefit , um, which then helps the employee, which helps the children, which helps the providers, right? Because everybody Yeah. Everybody benefits from that. Yeah . So , um, the section 45 F was another one that we had large discussions about on the hill , um, that we're hoping we can, you know, get some traction under , um, just to kind of help all, all the pieces that are moving, right? Um, that's the part that we wanted to bring up and really have some discussion about. So we kind , we kind of assess , we, we addressed like the two largest pieces of the childcare business, right? The family uhhuh and the business. Um, and that's kind of the goal. I don't think anybody believes that helping one or the other is gonna fix the problem. It's, we need both sides, right? Yeah . We've gotta somehow give families relief and we've gotta somehow give providers relief at the same time,
Speaker 2:For sure. So what did I not ask you that I should have or do ? Oh , goodness. <laugh>.
Speaker 3:I don't know . Um,
Speaker 2:Uh , or do you want listeners to take away from this podcast? It's such, it's such a big topic, such a , yeah . Important topic. And it feels like so much is always changing with it too. It
Speaker 3:Is. It absolutely is. You know, I, I think we're all guilty of thinking, well, you know, my voice doesn't matter. Um, I think that's the one thing that I would want everybody to take away from this, is every voice matters in this situation. Um, from the teacher to the, you know, the site leader, to a director, to an owner , um mm-hmm <affirmative> . To the business leaders, to shared services, all the voices matter. Um, and if there's one thing that I would want anybody to take away from this is, you know, get involved, get active with the leadership of your state , um, the leadership of your county, childcare is at every level right now. And so we need a large voice out there to say, we've got to somehow come together and figure out how to fix it, how to help, how to support it , um, how to make it better , um, how to make it affordable. Um , yeah . And like I said, I don't think there's any human that doesn't have any piece of that or has hasn't heard any piece of that from someone, whether it be their family or friends or neighbors or, you know, community members. Um, so I think that's the one thing is I encourage you, your voice matters. And when you start hearing kind of some rumblings around that in your local community or even, you know, maybe the associations you're in , um, definitely get involved. Make sure that you're a part of those conversations. Make sure that you're going to represent your families and your children , um, because that's what's going to help make this better, right? Yeah . That's what, that's how we are going to know that we're moving in the right direction, is if we can get everybody's voice heard. Um, so yeah, I, I think that's, that's my ask is get involved , um, and make sure you're there answering the surveys. If a survey comes across your screen, make sure you answer it, make sure you know it , it , ask your families to answer it. Um , mm-hmm <affirmative> . That's, I think those are the things, you know, we're going to be looking for a lot of data. Everybody's gonna be looking for data to really understand the scope and the landscape , um, of what needs to happen next. So,
Speaker 2:And we're still doing the, is it the quarterly calls with ECEC on champions of mixed delivery? Can you, can you talk a little bit about what happens on those, those calls, the information that's shared?
Speaker 3:Yeah. So, you know, really talking about mixed delivery, because again, it goes back to not any one piece is gonna be the answer. I think it's mm-hmm <affirmative> . It's going to take everybody. Um, and you know, those change, right? Elementary schools, their population changes year after year. So there's space changes year after year. So I don't think there's any one answer. I think if we can make sure that we continue to support that mixed delivery, then we can have everybody kind of coexist and we're able to meet the needs of families. Yeah , that's the important part that's at the , that's at the cornerstone of that entire conversation, is we can't, we're already at a situa a critical situation where we don't have enough, and unless we're able to have that mixed delivery, are we going to be able to meet that mm-hmm <affirmative> . Um , and so really making sure that we have that available to everybody, right? So we have Head Start , we have C-C-B-B-G , we have, you know , um, nonprofit centers, we have family childcare centers, we have elementary schools, we have private schools, we have all the things, and there are families, and families need choice. I I think that there's an opportunity for a family to really assess what environment they want their child in, and they need to have the ability to make that. Um, and so that's also at the cornerstone of that mixed delivery conversation, is making sure that families have choice and making sure that , um, there's opportunities and there's choice for them to have , um, in what space they want to go into.
Speaker 2:And I'll share a link to that call in the , um, show notes of this podcast too, so you can keep track of it. And we do po we post reminders on , um, the ProCare Facebook and Instagram pages and that to kind of , to help with as well. Is there any other website or resources that you'd recommend to follow along to see what's, what's going on? Um , the CC , um,
Speaker 3:Yeah, I don't, we generally try to really , um, put out this information because we are at the front lines of it. So yeah , we generally share that information across all platforms, right? Uhhuh , <affirmative> . So , um, all of your Naces, your NCAs, your childcare aware , your , um, state organizations , um, shared service groups , um, we share that information across the board. So really, if there's any , um, website or any organization that you're following, generally speaking, you're gonna find , you're gonna have , this information's gonna seep down to that level. Um, usually it takes about two weeks, two to three weeks that you'll start seeing kind of this information come across very many channels, right? Yeah . Because again, we're trying to really make sure that that grassroots gets out , um, and everybody, you know, is speaking the same language and, and becoming one voice , um, and representing many voices. So , uh, I think any organization that you're a part of in this industry, you'll see it.
Speaker 2:Okay. And we'll also share in the , um, the show notes , um, here at ProCare Solutions, we made a part of our website that breaks down state by state resources as well. So hopefully that's absolutely helpful as well. Absolutely. Yeah. Well , Michelle, thank you so much for joining us today. This was a lot of really good information that you packed into a short time, so we Sure . We appreciate it. And thank you for the work you're doing to advocate for everyone, and we'll ,
Speaker 3:Absolutely. Leah , I enjoy being here, and thank you for having me.
Speaker 2:Yes. And thanks again, everybody. Keep, stay tuned. Subscribe to the Childcare Business Podcast. We've got a lot more great stuff coming up. Uh, thanks for all the work you do to , um, educate our young learners and to be such a vital part of our economy. Have a great day, everyone. We'll see you next time. Bye.