Letter: The child care stabilization program is necessary to mend and sustain ND’s child care system

I am sincerely grateful to Rep. Joshua Boschee,D-Fargo, for his focus on the working families of North Dakota during the special legislative session with HB 1193, child care stabilization. I am disappointed the Legislative Management Committee voted to not move this critical bill forward, and I urge legislators to continue to find ways to fund this fundamental issue.

As a co-founder and board president of Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care in Hazen, I have a front-row seat to the challenges faced by child care providers. North Dakota consistently has higher demand for child care than it has supply. Child care is a unique labor issue that affects all other workforces. The only solution is to build a strong workforce in the child care industry.

The child care stabilization bill makes significant investments to address the crippling challenges faced by child care providers. Without this investment to recruit, retain and grow this workforce, our already fractured child care system is not sustainable.

Given North Dakota’s $300-million surplus, the state is positioned to put working families first. Child care workers shape our state’s legacy, and we must provide them the wages and benefits they deserve. A stabilized child care system not only benefits providers but also strengthens the economy.

The child care struggles we face in Mercer County are mirrored across the state. We grapple with employee retention, which affects our ability to serve the community effectively. The child care stabilization program is necessary to mend and sustain North Dakota’s fragmented child care system. I encourage the Legislature to follow Rep. Boschee’s lead and find a way to address this vital issue.

Erin Laverdure is co-founder and board president of Energy Capital Cooperative Child Care in Hazen, N.D.