BROWARD COUNTY, Fla. – Amid nationwide teacher shortages and as a way to remain competitive, Broward County Public Schools is considering an expansion to their child care programs.
“If we can offer something unique, keep our employees, and maybe recruit employees from everywhere, we’re going to look at it,” said Broward County Schools Superintendent Peter Licata.
Under the plan, these offers would expand and focus on teachers with needs.
“We’d love to see our folks being able to have their children in our schools or being able to help assist with child care payments, somehow, some way,” Licata said.
Last October, the Broward County School Board asked Licata to formulate a plan that would help expand child care options for employees, especially for those with children under three years of age.
The board also wanted to see if there was any correlation between teachers leaving the district during the first seven years of their professional life and their child care needs.
They also want a plan addressing tuition assistance for all employee groups for continuing education.
Local 10 News spoke with board members Tuesday who seem to be on board with the idea.
“I just think a lot about how in this country we put a lot of pressure on people to grow their families or have families but then we don’t do a whole lot to support them once that baby is born and child care is definitely a piece of that,” said Broward School Board Member Sarah Leonardi.
“I’m incredibly bullish on the tuition assistance options; that is something we can pay for. It’s an incredible attraction to people,” said BCSB member Allen Zeman.