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  San Diego County Childcare Landscape: An Analysis of the Supply and Demand

  Tessa Tinkler and Mehrnoush Jamshidi

  The COVID-19 pandemic has had significant impacts on the availability and demand for childcare. San Diego County, like much of the U.S., has historically had a much smaller supply of licensed childcare than there are children who need care. The pandemic has made this gap larger as the childcare supply has shrunk. Childcare providers have had to endure closures, new and constantly changing health guidelines, and uncertain revenue streams. On the demand San Diego County Childcare Landscape April 2022 ii side, parents’ conditions and needs have also changed. Parents have become unemployed, worked remotely, and kept their children home to reduce transmission of the virus. This lack of stability in the childcare sector has come after years of low wages and low reimbursements for childcare providers, high costs for families, and an uneven patchwork of childcare options that vary greatly by neighborhood and family income.

  Drawing on secondary data on the supply and demand for childcare, as well as 2022 survey data from 900 childcare providers in San Diego County, this report documents the most up-to date information available on the childcare landscape in San Diego County. The findings reveal a sector in crisis. At the same time that there is insufficient childcare to meet the demand, families are not utilizing the available licensed childcare to its full capacity because they are not finding the current system adequately meets their needs. Access to high-quality childcare is an essential component in ensuring families can maintain stable employment and children arrive at elementary school prepared. A substantial investment and rethinking of the system are needed to transform the way families access and utilize childcare.

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  2018 Learning How to Think Like an Engineer: A Design-Based Research Study of Kid Spark Education’s Curriculum in Kindergarten

  Tessa Tinkler, Megan Kelly, and Ida Rose Florez

  This report, prepared by the Nonprofit Institute's Caster Center, documents the findings from a design-based research study of Kid Spark Education's early childhood engineering curriculum.

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  2018 Study of San Diego County Local Child Care Needs and Barriers: Data and Insights for San Diego County Individualized Child Care Subsidy Pilot and Local Child Care Policies

  Tessa Tinkler, Mary Jo Schumann, and Meghan Kelly

  This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is a study of local child care conditions in San Diego County and includes an analysis of the demographics of families in need of child care; San Diego County’s self-sufficiency income level; availability of, and enrollment in, subsidized child care; and the cost of providing child care. This report originated from a required independent analysis of local child care conditions for Bill AB377, authorizing the County of San Diego to develop a pilot child care subsidy plan that takes into account the county’s unique demographic and economic environment.

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  2017 The Impact of Reading Aloud to Children: An Evaluation of the Words Alive Read Aloud Program

  Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research, University of San Diego

  This report, prepared by the Caster Center, is an evaluation of the Words Alive Read Aloud Program. Words Alive is a nonprofit organization focused on creating opportunities for life success by inspiring a commitment to reading.

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  2017 The Role of Books and Reading in STEM: An Overview of the Benefits for Children and the Opportunities to Enhance the Field

  Vitaliy Popov and Tessa Tinkler

  In April 2017, STEM Next, in partnership with the Hoag Foundation and the Molina Foundation, commissioned the Institute for Entrepreneurship in Education (IEE) and the Caster Family Center for Nonprofit and Philanthropic Research at the University of San Diego to provide an overview of literacy learning within the disciplinary context of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM). This overview includes (1) a literature review on the benefits of integrating literacy and STEM for elementary and middle-school-aged children, (2) an environmental scan of reading programs, organizations, and materials that focus on Literacy in STEM, and (3) a set of criteria for identifying high-quality STEM reading materials and programs for school-aged children both in school and out of school.