skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, September 13, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Van Hollen introduces federal 'climate superfund' legislation; Trump campaigns in Western states as Harris focuses on critical Pennsylvania; Stalled Child Tax Credit leaves Ohio families in limbo; Federal funding drives PA's increase in electric school buses.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Marjorie Taylor-Greene condemns remarks by a right-wing activist, immigrants to Ohio spark conspiracy theories and heated campaign controversies, and the Children's Defense Fund pushes for more attention to child poverty.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Rural voters weigh competing visions about agriculture's future ahead of the Presidential election, counties where economic growth has lagged in rural America are booming post-pandemic, and farmers get financial help to protect their land's natural habitat.

Deadline Here for Alabama DHR Childcare Grants

play audio
Play

Wednesday, August 30, 2023   

Today is the last day for licensed child care providers in Alabama to apply for Child Care Workforce Stabilization grants from the state.

Child care is an industry still recovering from the pandemic, in terms of hiring and keeping workers. The Alabama Department of Human Resources has been awarding grants to help child care providers recruit and retain their staff. They allow a center to offer quarterly bonuses of $3,000 dollars for full-time employees, and $1,500 for part-time workers.

Bernard Houston, director of care services for the Alabama Department of Human Resources, acknowledged the importance of the funds.

"We have surveys that we do, and we continue to do those on about a quarterly basis," Houston explained. "One of the consistent things that we hear from providers is that were it not for those workforce bonuses, many of them would have actually had to close their doors."

Houston noted child care workers are some of the lowest paid. The Center for the Study of Child Care Employment said even with a college degree, Alabama early childhood educators are paid about 35% less than their colleagues who teach in Kindergarten through the 8th grade.

Houston pointed out to be eligible for the Child Care Workforce Stabilization grants, providers have to be licensed and operating in good standing with the Department of Human Resources. They must also remain in operation for at least one year after a grant is awarded. He hopes the grants will make a difference to the people in a challenging career field who ultimately receive the bonuses.

"I'm hoping that long term, especially for newer recruits, I'm hoping that people who stay in the field will be passionate about it, they'll learn to love it, and hopefully stay in the field and just move up," Houston stressed. "And just find that trajectory towards becoming directors and sustaining child care."

Since the initiative was first announced in November 2021, the Department of Human Resources has awarded more than 10,000 grants to child care providers. The two-year grant period, set by federal law, ends in September.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
According to the Center for American Progress, "Climate-smart agriculture represents a crucial front in the fight against climate change." (Bits and Splits/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

By Kristi Eaton for The Daily Yonder.Broadcast version by Deborah Van Fleet for Nebraska News Connection reporting for The Daily Yonder-Public News Se…


Social Issues

play sound

More Maine households struggled to meet their basic needs last year, according to new census data. More than 80,000 Mainers, or roughly 6% of the …

Environment

play sound

New federal legislation would make polluters pay for the costs of climate change mitigation. On Thursday, Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., introduced …


According to the Center for Reproductive Rights, 18 states currently either ban abortion completely or after six weeks of pregnancy. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Abortion care restrictions in North Dakota are expected to be lifted in the near future, following a court ruling on Thursday. A state judge said …

Social Issues

play sound

Hudson, New York will hold its fourth annual Latinx Festival on Sunday. The festival celebrates a wide range of cultures through food, dancing and …

The John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act would restore parts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 weakened by the Supreme Court's 2013 decision in Shelby v. Holder. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Groups from Virginia and across the country are working with federal lawmakers to improve voting rights. They are building support for voting rights …

Social Issues

play sound

Chronic absenteeism rates in Michigan schools have significantly declined, yet researchers warn the state's rate overall remains alarmingly high…

Social Issues

play sound

Tensions are rising in Springfield, Ohio, as controversial claims from Sen. J.D. Vance about migrants in the area have garnered national attention…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021