CALL TO ACTION ON CHILD CARE FOR LOW-INCOME STUDENTS DURING DISTANCE LEARNING TO:
Arlington County Manager Mark Schwartz Arlington County Board Members Arlington County School Superintendent Dr. Francisco Durán Arlington County School Board Members Arron Gregory, APS Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer Samia Byrd, Arlington County Chief Race and Equity Officer
October 30, 2020 Honored Leaders: The Safety Net Arlington nonprofit leaders, together with community members from the Community Progress Network, the Arlington Child Care Initiative, and the Arlington Partnership for Children, Youth, and Families, are committed to public/private collaboration to reduce educational, social, health, and economic disparities among families in Arlington. We write regarding the continuing child care crisis for low-income school-aged children whose parents cannot work from home while their children participate in distance learning. We ask the County and APS to convene and lead a public/private task force to implement immediate action on funding, facilities, licensing, zoning, and staffing items to address this pressing equity issue. We are reaching out in the spirit of partnership and with deep appreciation for the incredible effort both the County and Schools have made in response to the pandemic. We, however, remain deeply concerned about the lack of a coordinated County/APS response for care for low-income school-aged children in distance learning. We are eight months into the pandemic, and, while we understand that the return to school plans are evolving, we are clear there remains a dire and growing need for child care for this vulnerable population. (As an indication of demand, Fairfax County filled 1500 child care slots for their low-income students in just one week.) Until all low-income students are in school full time, these young people and their parents are disproportionately burdened with the lack of options for supervised care. We ask that the County and APS form and lead this time-limited and action-oriented task force to include representatives from APS, Arlington County Department of Human Services, Parks and Recreation, and other departments as appropriate, along with nonprofits providing services to the families described in this letter. We recognize that the resource-sharing dynamics of each county are different, but it is significant to note that at least five other local jurisdictions have managed to combine school, county and nonprofit space, funds and staffing to offer scaled-up child care for low-income students. They have found a way to work with the uncertainty around reopening. If they can do it, surely Arlington can. Given licensing and safety concerns, it is not efficient to respond in an ad hoc basis one pod or one group at a time in non-County/School spaces. We need significant APS and County systems’ involvement and resources. It is clear that Arlington cannot serve everyone in need, but it is critical to start incrementally in a few locations and scale up as options become available. We as community organizations can help identify which low-income students to prioritize for limited spaces. We strongly advocate for more expansive thinking regarding licensing and space in other buildings that could be put to use for school-aged child care. The State has enacted emergency licensing. We ask that the County also extend licensing and fee waivers that retain child safety, follow State