The Impact of COVID-19 on Childcare
The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted the status of Niagara County’s licensed, center-based child care centers. In April 2020, the Levesque Institute surveyed 27 child care centers affiliated with the Niagara County Early Child Care Quality Improvement Project (Niagara QIP), focusing on their current operating status and the challenges they were facing as a result of COVID-19.
Of the 27 child care centers surveyed, nearly half (48%) have closed for reasons including lack of child attendance; health and safety concerns for workers, children, and their families; financial restrictions; and stay-at-home orders from the local government. Many are not certain if they will be able to reopen.
Of the 21 respondents, 24% reported they would not survive a closure of any length, while 67% were not confident their center could survive a closure of more than two weeks, and 48% reported they would not survive a closure of more than two months without external support that would allow them to compensate and retain staff, pay rent or mortgages, and cover other fixed costs.