Erica Mackey is a young mother with three children under the age of five. When she tried to find daycare in Bozeman, Mackey was repeatedly told by providers that they would never have a vacancy.
“It blew my mind,” she said.
Mackey wanted to know why there was such a shortage. What she found: The economics are tenuous for many large commercial providers, and employee turnover is persistent.
The 30% annual turnover rate among child care jobs is more than four times greater than the 7% rate found among elementary school teachers, and fast food businesses are one of the few employers that report higher levels of annual turnover rates, according to a study titled, “Turnover Begets Turnover: An Examination of Job and Occupational Instability Among Child Care Center Staff from the Center for Child Care Employment and Institute of Industrial Relations at the University of California, Berkeley.
That’s how Mackay and co-founder Elizabeth Szymanski hit upon the membership home-based model. With the membership model, budding home-based childcare providers can join My Village and receive business support as well as connections with other providers, training, content and more.
The membership is $124 a month. Mackey calls her members “educators.”
Many home-based providers feel a sense of isolation and are overwhelmed by the process of setting up their businesses, because for many, it’s their first one, said Mackey.
My Village breaks down the process into manageable steps to help folks get started, said Mackey.
My Village also provides templates and software to aid in the billing and business side of childcare, such as the market rate for services in a particular area, said Mackey.
My Village began three years ago in Montana and Colorado, and today has 50 members in Montana, in both larger cities and rural areas, said Mackey. The business has now expanded nationwide and is in 20 states, she said.
My Village works within the requirements of each state and encourages providers to become licensed. It’s a way to give the provider a “seal of approval” from the state, said Mackey.
Providers affiliated with My Village in Bozeman charge from $780 to $900 a month for full-time care, according to the website.
