Month: November 2014

Low Pay For Northeast WI Childcare Teachers

A recent survey of group childcare centers in Northeast Wisconsin shows the pay rate of childcare teachers is just under the national average. Despite the important role they play in early childhood development and school readiness, childcare workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the United States.

“Parents can’t afford the real cost of childcare, which then results in low wages for the childcare teachers,” says Paula Breese, Executive Director of Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. “Due to low wages, staff turnover can be high, which can affect the quality of care.”

Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. collects data from area childcare providers to help connect families to regulated care and to advocate for childcare needs in Northeast Wisconsin. The recent survey showed the average wage in seven northeast Wisconsin counties to be $9.55 an hour just under the national average identified by Child Care Aware as $10.25 an hour.

Quality of childcare is greatly improved when teachers have continued education, which in most fields results in higher wages. In area childcare centers, many teachers have or are working towards an Associate’s or Bachelor’s Degree and all teachers in regulated programs have some yearly continued education.

“Because of our work with childcare providers, we know they aren’t doing it for the pay or benefits but because of their passion for improving early childhood experiences,” says Breese. “As a community we can raise awareness to the importance of the work being done by childcare teachers so that we can be sure we are showing appreciation for the teachers and by advocating for programs that support them.”

A New Early Childhood Consultant Joins the Staff!

Family and Childcare Resources of N.E.W. welcomes Diana Zorn to the staff as an Early Childhood Consultant. She is part of a team of consultants who support child care providers in the Youngstar Quality Rating and Improvement System. YoungStar is a program of the Department of Children and Families created to improve the quality of child care for Wisconsin children.

Diana is a Packer’s fan and loves camping. She is familiar with Northeast Wisconsin having grown up in Stockbridge, WI. She attended college at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay where she received her Bachelors Degree. She later received her Masters Degree in Education with an emphasis in Early Childhood.

Before coming to Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W., Diana worked as a Formal Rater with YoungStar at Wisconsin’s Department of Children and Families. “I loved the position, but working as a remote employee, I did not have a lot of contact with people,” says Diana. “When the position of Early Childhood Consultant, the other half of YoungStar, became available I knew it was time to get back to an office setting where I would have more contact with people.”

Diana will now be bring her experience to work with childcare providers in our seven county delivery area to improve quality through trainings and consultations to prepare for formal ratings.

Diana can easily answer what she is most proud of, “My children! They are great kids with fun personalities (Daughter, Maya, 15 years old and Son, Kyle, 12 years old). I have enjoyed watching them grow into caring, funny, and smart teens.” Diana is a great addition to our team bringing her knowledge of early childhood and dedication to nurturing growing personalities.

During the first five years 90% of brain development occurs, and we can set children on a healthy course for development, which will be needed for school and beyond. Our efforts focus on those first five years while supporting parents to make a big impact on the lives of children in our community. We do this through a variety of programs including home visitation, workshops, playgroups, parenting classes and more. You can help us make a big impact.

Join us for our new Parent Advisory Committee Thursday, November 13th from 5:30-6:30 pm at Family & Childcare Resources of N.E.W. (201 W. Walnut St.) We will discuss ways to improve the Parents As Teachers home visiting program including ideas for future Group Connections, fundraising options, needs drives, building future leaders, and more. If you are interested please contact Franchesca at franchesca@fcrnew.org call at 432-8899 x7017.

Recently our agency went to tour other agencies in the community to learn about resources available for those in need. As a family resource center, we refer to many community organizations as a network of support. We wanted to get a feel and insight to what happens after we refer our clients to these organizations. One of the agencies we visited that has left an imprint in my mind was Paul’s Pantry.

As an Early Childhood Consultant working mainly with childcare providers, I’m not as connected with what’s available in the community and the referral side of things. I was unaware how our agency is so connected to the community and how much we help those in need. As a referral agency we refer out to anything the client may need assistance with. One of a number of resources we refer clients, who are in need, to is to Paul’s pantry.

Paul’s Pantry was started as a result of a need to care for hungry people in the community who are unable to purchase enough food for their family as a result of their meager or no incomes. Paul’s Pantry is more than just an emergency food pantry. Its goal is to provide a family with enough food every week, for as long as needed, so that they may use their food dollars for shelter, utilities and other necessities to avoid becoming homeless.

The pantry receives no federal, state or local tax revenue it relies entirely on the community, a three way partnership made up of volunteers, food suppliers, and donors. Paul’s Pantry has a volunteer board of directors, overseeing its operation. The pantry was founded in 1984 by the late Leo Frigo.

I moved to the green bay area so I was unaware who Leo Frigo was and how much an impact he had been on the community. Leo Frigo devoted his life to helping others. After he retired as the President of Frigo Cheese, he took it upon himself to start a food pantry in Green Bay.

Leo realized that the amount of food being thrown away by business was shameful and that the unsaleable but edible food could be used to benefit the needy in our local community. He visited all the local grocery stores begging for their surplus unsaleable food, even going as far as jumping into the dumpsters to retrieve food when it was denied.

Leo Frigo obtained the space in a corner of the former St. Vincent de Paul store on Webster Court, (now renamed Leo Frigo Way), Leo organized meetings of volunteers through the churches of all denominations. They have come together in rescuing over 5 million pounds of food from the marketplace each year, all inedible food is given to local livestock farmers, nothing is wasted.

“Waste not, want not,” is the philosophy at Paul’s Pantry.

This philosophy is also part of their distribution. Everyone is allowed to shop for his or her own groceries. People are not just given food they don’t like, but are allowed to choose, and take only what they will use. Again, nothing is wasted.

This also ties in with the most important component of Paul’s Pantry. To restore the hope, pride and dignity of those they serve. While this is done first by allowing a person to shop for his or her own groceries, it is also done by giving an individual the option of volunteering. Paul’s Pantry’s recipients have become valued members of our local community. Leo Frigo has truly made an impact in our community.

When we visited Paul’s pantry we learned the history, how the food is distributed, sorted, and the intake system of clients. All of this is done by volunteers. I was truly amazed how our community comes together to help one another out. I couldn’t believe the amount of volunteering that was going on from all different age ranges. I truly am proud to live in a community that comes together and appreciate everything our community does.