CHILDCARE CRISIS

At least one-third of the childcare workforce leaves the job each year, nearly double the overall U.S. job turnover rate. Every time a caregiver leaves, children experience loss.

The average center-based childcare teacher nationwide earns roughly $7.00 an hour and fewer than one-third of childcare workers have health insurance.

Decline in the quality and availability of childcare translates into an unstable workforce and children who are not prepared for school.

WHY WE ARE SEEKING TO FUND SOLUTIONS

Children who receive high quality childcare are more likely to develop better thinking skills, better language skills, and are more likely to develop positive social skills than are children who do not receive high quality care.

How adults engage and respond to an infant determine the child's ability to learn, relate to people, and manage his or her emotions. During the first few years of life, the human brain is specifically designed to benefit from positive experiences and teaching, while adverse experiences can have profound, negative effects on childrenπs behavior and learning.

The benefits that arise from high quality childcare remain with children into young adulthood.

A MISSION OF CONSEQUENCE

What happens to young children from birth through age 5 has lifelong implications for their success. Our goal is to ensure that our youngest and most vulnerable children have a positive start in life. We advocate for the needs of children and support the professional growth of early childhood teachers.

Raising Austin funds organizations that share this passion and whose work demonstrates far-reaching and long lasting impacts on the quality of childcare. We fund collaborative projects that are innovative and result in beneficial changes to the education and care of young children in our area. Raising Austin accepts proposals year-round. Selection is based on community need and includes site visits and an interview process.

JOIN US IN BEING PART OF THE SOLUTION...
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Fact Sources:
National Center for Early Development and Learning
The Carolina Abecedarian Project
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Study of Early Child Care
National Center for the Child Care Workforce
Rethinking the Brain, Rima Shor