Radio Interview: Addressing Childcare in North Dakota

Nick Archuleta, North Dakota United President and member of the North Dakota Child Care Action Alliance, joined Afternoons Live with Tyler Axness onf KFGO radio responds to Governor Burgum's plan to address childcare needs in our state.” Listen here.

Nick Archuleta, North Dakota United President: “The Child Care proposal released by the Governor today is a step in the right direction. We can agree there is no higher priority in North Dakota right now than fixing the child care crisis. However, we believe the approach must be three-pronged focusing on families, businesses and workers. The Governor's proposal is missing an essential component. It fails to address the child care workforce shortfall. The median wage across North Dakota for a child care worker is $11.19 per hour, barely hovering above poverty level for a family of three. We must strive to professionalize the childcare workforce and that means we must provide more competitive salaries to those caring for our children. Our failure to do so will only exacerbate the childcare shortage and cause families and businesses to continue to struggle.”