It’s been a challenge for Vicki Duggan to recruit new staff for the daycare center she manages in Midwest City.
Over the last few years, Kinder Castle was able to offer a $1,000 signing bonus and free child care to staff thanks to federal pandemic funding. Staff were able to get a few additional paid days off. That made it a bit easier to recruit, Duggan said.
But that extra money ran out last year. The margins are back to being razor-thin, even though Kinder Castle is a five-star facility that gets the highest level of reimbursements from the state for accepting children who get subsidized care. Starting pay at Kinder Castle is $11 an hour for someone with no experience or degree. The facility does offer paid time off, but not until year two. Often, hiring comes down to money…