Good News -- and What's Ahead!
Dear Friends,
I'm a 'numbers' person. I have to be. As executive director of a program dedicated to early learning excellence for every child, numbers matter.
A number that I often reference is enrollment. From the pandemic's onset and our mandatory closure (March 2020) to our reopening (July 2020), enrollment plummeted from 426 to 28.
Today, I'm delighted to report that for the first time in two and a half years, we are serving 421 children, nearly the same number that we did pre-pandemic.
We have rebuilt our enrollment but these numbers do not tell our complete story.
Looking at Our Capacity--A Clearer Picture of Where We Stand
Since 2020, our capacity has grown. We had secured a grant (pre-pandemic) to add classrooms and upgrade our center, including creating a Loose Parts Room, now a teacher and student favorite! We launched an Infant Care Program. We also welcomed young learners through Early Head Start. (Due to higher child-teacher ratio requirements, however, this program reduced the size of our Toddler Program.)
Overall, today we can serve more children than in 2020. When you examine our enrollment relative to the capacity of each of our programs, you can see more clearly where we stand:
Our best investment is in our high-caliber, dedicated teachers and other staff.
Emerging From the Crisis
We must still bridge enrollment gaps but our outlook is much brighter than just one year ago. Thanks to federal, state, and local funding; individual donors; Board leadership; and the dedication of staff, we have emerged intact from the crisis.
Challenges, however, continue. Many families in Philadelphia need high-quality year-round child care. To ensure all families can access it, we must continue to advocate* for adequate public funding. Quality requires resources yet child care subsidies persistently fall short of our true costs.
Investing in Children's Futures
by Investing in Our Staff
We know that one of the best investments we can make is in our staff. Our staff team includes not only our talented teachers but also our family partnership, nutrition, language and special needs, and others. Together, they ensure that we support the whole child.
Offering higher wages and better benefits will help address another pressing issue: recruiting and retaining a high-caliber workforce in a sector confronting severe staffing shortages.
In fact, at the request of Child Care Aware® of America, I recently shared how Children's Village directed our America Rescue Plan Act stabilization funds. To learn how we are investing in the future, I encourage you to watch my 2-minute video (follow the link and then scroll down).
We are here today because of your commitment. While my position requires a focus on finances and figures, I never lose sight that behind these numbers are children and their families whose lives are uplifted by our work, which only is possible because of you.
Thank you.
Mary E. Graham, Executive Director
*I encourage you to continue to raise your voice and take a stand for children! VOTE!