When Cynthia Vazquez signed up for a weekend of intensive training on running a childcare business, she had no idea she was stepping into an innovative response to twin crises facing children and families across Oregon. The Early Childhood Education Program at Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC) designed the Kickstarter program to increase the workforce of qualified early childhood educators in Eastern Oregon while at the same time helping childcare providers create more enriching environments for the children they serve.

“It was the opportunity I needed to make up my mind and commit to my daycare and to return to school,” Vazquez said. “I want to make a difference for the kids in my daycare. I knew (the Kickstarter) was a start, but I didn’t want to let it go at that, so it ended up being the push I needed.”

Vazquez was a member of the first BMCC Kickstarter class in 2023. The community college created the program because Oregon, like just about everywhere in the nation, faces a significant shortage of early childcare practitioners. That means parents have difficulty finding quality childcare. It also means those caring for young learners may not know enough about their craft to effectively help children develop important life skills.

Tammy Short, Director of Early Childhood Education at BMCC, learned from experience that to fix a problem she needed a viable solution. So, she got to work.

Short’s efforts led to the free three-day Kickstarter event to help launch potential childcare providers on a journey to success. The program provided childcare strategies designed to stoke interest in participants beginning or continuing their education. The Kickstarter completed its second year in May with participants learning and building community over a long weekend.

“It is really more like a seminar, as the bulk of the weekend focuses on an ECE course specific to the pathway. I also bring in multiple speakers with various sessions to give them a broader experience,” Short said. “One of the biggest goals is to remove the barriers of enrollment and tuition costs, but also to increase the workforce with quality early childhood educators. It provides academic and career pathway navigation support for open access to degree completion.”

The event is possible because of grants from Oregon Community Foundation (OCF). The funds allow participants to meet in-person, receive materials, and learn from each other without having financial constraints dictate attendance.

“The money received from OCF takes care of tuition, supplies for hands-on learning, textbooks, and food,” said Short, who also was able to provide gas cards to participants. “None of this would be possible without OCF.”

The shortage

Finding suitable childcare is not a new problem, but it is not improving. Across rural and urban areas of Oregon, more than one-third of caregivers with children ages 0-5 report that child care issues led to employment problems for someone in their family.

“It shows that if childcare is an issue for employment, it is most likely an issue in other areas of your life like going to school,” said Jean-Marie Callan, OCF senior research and learning officer.

Cost is a big issue. The annual amount Oregonians pay for childcare now rivals housing and college expenses; $13,616 for one year of infant care surpasses the average cost of rent by nearly $1,500. On average, childcare costs take up 23% of household income for families across the state, with a range between counties of 18% to 30%.

“We know that housing and education have been significant costs for a while and now childcare competes with them, and it is not because the cost of housing or education is decreasing,” Callan said. “If students are trying to go to school and have childcare issues themselves that becomes an even bigger issue. It can make it even more out of reach.”

Another big challenge is pay. Attracting more people to the profession is a challenge when the median hourly wages range from $13-$18. State funding doesn’t match the need despite studies showing every dollar invested returns an average between $4-$9, Callan said.

Second year

The Kickstarter this spring enrolled 21 people — 18 women and three men — from Oregon and Idaho and focused on a course of creativity for young children. Music, play and the outdoor environment, and social and emotional health and development for children and teachers working with them also were explored.

Short surveyed participants – whose ages ranged from 14 to 72 – at the end of the event. The most consistent response was a wish for more than three days together. The learning doesn’t stop at its conclusion, as participants have assignments and a final to complete before the end of the term. Participants receive a grade for the course, as well as college credits toward the early childhood education core curriculum and college credit.

Community

Short builds community with those who register for the event before they step foot in Pendleton.

“I contact everyone who pre-registers one by one to walk them through the process,” she said. “I want to remove any fear or barriers.”

One of the best ways for childcare workers to learn is from each other. Short has participants work in small groups and present to the class. Friendships are built that may serve them for years to come.

“By the end of the weekend, they are hugging each other and sharing tips of successful things they have done or that they want to try with the knowledge they have gained,” she said. “It really develops a partner in their field that they can collaborate with.”

Jaclyn Kilpatrick took part in this year’s program and appreciated the perspectives from classmates that she uses as a caregiver to preschoolers in Oregon.

“Being in a classroom setting with other adults allowed me to get feedback and ideas about things I never thought about using with kids,” she said. “It also works as a motivator in a field that can be challenging at times.”

Success

Five participants from the first year of the event are enrolled in the early childhood education program at BMCC working toward an associate’s degree. Short said she is working with others from this year’s cohort.

“I use it as a recruitment tool as well because college can be scary for those who have not attended,” she said. “We have a lot of nontraditional students participate and that is why we try to eliminate as many barriers as possible.”

Short said the Kickstarter is a good way for people to begin in the field or improve skills, and she helped several educators put together degree plans to secure or advance in jobs.

“It is an important beginning to building highly qualified early childhood educators,” she said. “The need for early childhood educators is strong, but some agencies won’t hire them because they don’t have a degree. But some agencies will if they have taken part in the event and have a degree plan.”