Child Care Provider Appreciation Day
Help us celebrate some of our most valuable, but often overlooked, workforce on May 6 as part of Child Care Provider Appreciation Day. Qualified teachers continue to leave this field because of the low wages and benefits provided in this vital profession. While we need to show them appreciation on May 6, we need to do more if we hope to provide families with abundant high-quality early care and education choices for their children.
Childhood is a time of rapid growth and learning, making the beginning years of life a critical time for brain development. During the first few years of life, over 1 million new neural connections are formed per second. Despite the importance of this period, these teachers are undervalued, underappreciated, and underpaid.
According to Utah’s Early Childhood Workforce Index, in 2019, the median hourly wage for child care workers in Utah was $10.47. Utah early educators with a bachelor’s degree are paid 28.7% less than their colleagues in the K-8 system. In fact, a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education is the college major with the lowest projected lifetime earnings.
Here in Summit County, this workforce is essential. The Summit County Early Childhood Needs Assessment found that the majority (79%) of mothers with children under age 6 in Summit County are in the workforce and that Summit County has the third highest rate of children under six with a child care need (66%). In a 2021 survey by the Park City Chamber of Commerce, 40% of the respondents reported that access to child care is important or very important to them.
We need to compensate these workers not only with our gratitude, but also with pay and benefits that are commensurate to K-12 teachers with similar education and experience. We should also prioritize the early childcare and education workforce for local affordable housing.
Kristen Schulz
Snyderville Basin
Ballet, and history, at the Eccles Center
We have an opportunity this Saturday to experience world-class ballet at the Eccles Center and remember an important part of our American history.
The black and white images of the 60s are a dim reminder of the pervasive and overt racism that was prevalent in American society. So dominant was the message of the inferiority of the oppressed minority that it was easy to limit the abilities of individuals based on their race.
There were exceptional members of our society that were starting to break those stereotypes such as Jacky Robinson, Ella Fitzgerald, Harry Belefonte, and Thurgood Marshall who, with their genius, tenacity, and grace chipped away at the myth of white superiority.
Still, at the time of Martin Luther King’s association, there were many barriers left to be overcome. None so much as the classical arts, specifically ballet. Arthur Mitchell took as a personal mission to change all of that when he founded a school that would provide the youth in Harlem, the community in which he was born, the opportunity to learn about classical dance.
His success developed into a multi-cultural dance institution that demonstrates creative expression and artistic excellence in the performing arts. The success of the Dance Theatre of Harlem is one of the many pieces of our history that make up the mosaic that aptly illustrates that the achievements of our citizens are not defined by one’s race.
I suggest you come to the Eccles Center this Saturday as we not only celebrate this legacy but enjoy a nationally renowned dance company.
Ari Ioannides
Executive Director
Park City Institute
Bike Drive for Africa
Do you have any old bikes kicking around in your garage? How about old bike parts, clothing or tires? This Saturday, May 7th at the Canyons Village Base by the Cabriolet Base, the Village Bicycle Project is hosting a bike drive from 9am to 1pm to benefit Sierra Leone and Ghana.
The Village Bicycle Project aims to empower communities in West Africa by building bike culture. Our programs couple quality subsidized bicycles with hands-on maintenance training for new owners. Women and girls, who are frequently marginalized and discouraged from riding bikes, are specifically targeted for inclusion in bike programs.
Last year, we collected more than 100 bikes in our Park City bike drive that we shipped to Ghana. This spring we are hoping to build on last year’s success and send even more bikes from Park City, this time to Sierra Leone. Please consider donating your old but still usable bikes or bike parts this coming Saturday morning. Any type of bike is great, either kids or adult. Old mountain bikes are probably preferred because of their durability. Our old bikes in Park City can literally transform lives halfway around the world. Please consider donating!
Jamie May
Village Bicycle Project Board Member
Park City resident