The State of California requires early care and education programs to be licensed by the state. Sierra Nevada Children’s Services (SNCS) and the Placer County Office of Education (PCOE) collects data on the number of licensed childcare facilities and the number of corresponding available childcare slots.  U.S. Census data was used to find the population of children aged 0-5. A lower percentage indicates that families are having a difficult time accessing ECE programs.
 

Methodology 

• Utilized American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau, and American Community Survey to find the number of children under age 5 living in the Tahoe-Truckee Joint Unified School District. 
• The number of slots was found by summing numbers found from the Early Care and Education Services Provider Survey, Sierra Nevada Children's Services Provider Match List, and the Placer County Office of Education's Capacity/Vacancy List. 
• The corresponding percentage was calculated by dividing the number of slots by the number of children. 

Factors Impacting the Trend

• Childcare Deserts

The Center for American Progress defines a childcare desert as "any census tract with more than 50 children under age 5 that contains either no child care providers or so few options that there are more than three times as many children as licensed child care slots." There are fourteen census tracts that make up the Tahoe Truckee Unified School District. Out of these 14, five census tracts are considered childcare deserts.

• The average of the 14 census tracts= 2.44, which indicates that there is an average of 2.44 children per single child care slot in the North Tahoe Truckee region. ECE providers are seeing more need than they are able to accomodate which translates into long wait lists and increasing strain on providers. 
• The following lists individual census tracts and the number of children per childcare slot. Any number above three (highlighted in red) is considered a childcare desert.
• 605700090= 3.98
• 6057001203= 6
• 6057001204= 0 (According to U.S. census data, no children under 5 live in this census tract)
• 6057001205=8.19
• 6057001206=2.54
• 6061020104=0.21
• 6061020105=3.31
• 6061020106=7.07
• 6061020107=1.02
• 6061022011=0.88
• 6061022014=0.21
• 6061022100=0 (There are no licensed ECE service providers located in this tract)
• 6061022200=0.81
• 6061022300=0 (There are no licensed ECE services providers located in this tract)

• Qualitative Data: Quotes From Surveys 
  • "The preschool has limited capacity and is difficult to qualify for."
  • "When I applied [to the preschool] I waited a long time."
  • "The truth is there aren't many open [slots] in schools."
  • "We put our child on a waitlist when she was five months old for her to start daycare at two years old." 
  • "[We currently have] a year wait for full time." 
  • "Wait can be up to two years."
  • "It may be a year before a space opens."
  • "Families wait an average of 2 years. Many do not get in at all."
  • "Huge need for infant care."
  • "It's painful to tell new parents that I have no help to offer them, because my capacity is full." 
  • "Too many kids not enough spaces." 

Sources:

Center for American Progress. (2017). https://childcaredeserts.org/?state=CA.

Early Care and Education Services Provider Survey. 2019. 

Qualitative Surveys to Family Room Participants, 2018-2019.