Regional organization helps parents afford child care

Oct. 3—MORGANTOWN — Balancing of work and parenthood is tough enough for families, but costly child care makes it even tougher.

For some parents, the choice between working and caring for a child doesn't come easy. That followed by the costs of child care services like day care make some options out of reach.

Morgantown-based Child Care Resource Center is an organization funded through a joint partnership with the state government and Catholic Charities West Virginia that helps struggling families afford services like day care.

"We provide [parents] the opportunity to better themselves so they can better provide for their families," CCRC Director Brittany Lucci said.

Normally, under what Lucci called "non-COVID circumstances," support for families would be locked behind an income requirement, meaning families who make too much money would be ineligible. Now, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, these support opportunities are extended without income barriers to parents who are essential workers.

COVID has affected nearly every facet of social services and child care is no exception.

"Since March 2020... we have seen quite the increase in families applying for child care assistance," CCRC Subsidy Supervisor Kalie Perdue said. "We've added about 3- to 400 more cases, primarily in Monongalia and Marion counties."

In addition to Marion County, the resource center provides services to residents in Ohio, Marshall, Hancock, Brook, Wetzel, Tyler and Monongalia counties.

In June 2019, the CCRC was serving 738 families, while as of June 2021, the nonprofit is serving 1082 families.

"It has gone up substantially, but it's also gotten the word out to families [who] wouldn't normally qualify," Lucci said.

While providing subsidized child care is what the CCRC is more known for, the majority of the work Lucci and her staff do involves referrals to other organizations to educate families in need about what options are available for other programs.

"We can offer a list of child care providers, we can offer assistance within DHHR, help with housing assistance, we can refer them to food pantries and utility assistance, we work with a plethora of agencies and offer all kinds of help," Perdue said. "I would just want the parents to know we exist."

Although COVID has made it easier for families to qualify for the benefits offered by the CCRC, the pandemic has hit day care and child care facilities hard. Toddlers and smaller babies can't wear masks and can't really sanitize and this has caused a lot of complications in the industry.

Child care isn't a glamourous or profitable business venture. Many facilities are establish out of love of children and the added requirements of sanitization and other COVID precautions have made the lives or care providers difficult.

While the CCRC is known for helping parents connect with other programs, the organization is also involved with helping the day care centers themselves.

"If [a day care] has a child that tests positive for COVID they have to shut down their whole program for however long the health department tells them," Lucci said. "Even before COVID it was hard to keep child care staff. They are not paid well. Now with COVID they're putting themselves in harm's way everyday."

Over the summer, the CCRC gave away cleaning and sanitizing supplies to local child care providers to help lift a part of the financial burden the programs are facing.

If interested in finding out more about what the CCRC provides or how to qualify for subsidized child care, visit the resources center's website at www.ccrcwv.org or call the Fairmont office at 304-366-3018.

Reach David Kirk at 304-367-2522 or by email at dkirk@timeswv.com.

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