{"id":413415,"date":"2025-11-29T18:48:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-29T18:48:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/413415\/"},"modified":"2025-11-29T18:48:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-29T18:48:19","slug":"san-diego-must-fix-a-caregiving-crisis-to-protect-our-workforce","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/413415\/","title":{"rendered":"San Diego must fix a caregiving crisis to protect our workforce"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Children<\/a>A YMCA of San Diego County child care program. (File photo courtesy of the YMCA)<\/p>\n

My husband and I waited nearly a decade into our marriage before starting a family \u2014 not because we didn\u2019t want one, but because we knew raising children would demand more than we could afford at the time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Opinion<\/a><\/p>\n

We have two kids now, and childcare for our youngest costs nearly $2,000 a month. That\u2019s more than some families pay in rent, and far more than many working parents can reasonably shoulder.<\/p>\n

During the pandemic, my husband was able to stay home with our daughter while going back to school full-time. He\u2019s working full-time again, but still trying to complete his degree \u2014 now in year four of a two-year program.<\/p>\n

My family\u2019s story is not unique. It\u2019s the reality of thousands of families across the San Diego and Imperial region. Because in today\u2019s economy, the math simply doesn\u2019t add up.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As we recognize National Family Caregivers Month<\/a>, it\u2019s important not just to honor the caregivers in our lives but to use their challenges to motivate us to build a system that can support them in return. Because caregiving isn\u2019t just a family\u2019s burden. It\u2019s a workforce issue we cannot afford to ignore.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Millennials are now the largest share<\/a> of the labor force, yet many of us are part of the \u201csandwich generation<\/a>\u201d \u2014 juggling raising children while also caring for aging parents. Carrying both responsibilities at once inevitably affects our productivity, stress levels and overall work\u2013life balance.<\/p>\n

At the San Diego & Imperial Center of Excellence<\/a>, we analyze labor market data to better prepare the region\u2019s workforce for the future. That research showed just how fragile our care system already was \u2014 and how the pandemic pushed it to the brink.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Across the region, childcare providers lost nearly 2,000 slots<\/a>, and wages remain so low that many trained early childhood educators leave for higher-paying jobs in retail or hospitality. The result: families wait months for care they can barely afford, and parents \u2014 mostly women \u2014 are forced to leave the workforce.<\/p>\n

The senior-care sector is confronting a strikingly similar crisis \u2014 one growing more urgent as our population ages. Another COE analysis<\/a> estimated that about 70% of the region\u2019s more than half-million seniors would need long-term care at some point, yet only about 29,000 licensed senior-care slots exist. That means roughly three out of five seniors could not access care, even if they needed it.<\/p>\n

This gap also stems from a severe workforce shortage. Across the state, employers report needing 148,000 home health and personal care aides \u2014 a demand 50 times higher than projected a decade ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n

These findings raised important questions about caregiving\u2019s impact on student success. So we surveyed about 600 adult learners<\/a> aged 25 and older across our community college system. The answer was clear: student-caregivers carry heavier burdens and are more likely to pause or abandon their education because they cannot balance school, work and the round-the-clock responsibilities of caring for a loved one.<\/p>\n

But their stories are more than just data points. They\u2019re a blueprint for repairing a system that has long been failing families.<\/p>\n

Community colleges are key to solving the caregiving crisis and strengthening the region\u2019s workforce pipeline. Across the region, we already offer programs that support aspiring caregivers \u2014 from San Diego College of Continuing Education\u2019s personal care assistant and free ESL classes<\/a> for caregivers to the in-home daycare and small-business training previously offered at San Diego Miramar College<\/a> and the Women\u2019s Business Center<\/a> at Southwestern College. Many of these programs are grant-funded and depend on consistent financial support; without it, they are paused or discontinued despite strong community demand.<\/p>\n

Caregivers are central to our economy, our families and our communities. But they cannot continue carrying this burden alone. Caregivers are often paid below a living wage, so policies that ensure<\/a> this workforce is supported, valued as a profession and compensated competitively are critical. If we want more students to succeed \u2014 and more of them to choose caregiving careers \u2014 we must start by addressing the barriers that make it so difficult for them to stay enrolled.<\/p>\n

This National Family Caregivers Month, let\u2019s show our appreciation by giving caregivers the support that they deserve. Our region\u2019s future depends on it.<\/p>\n

Dr. Tina Ngo Bartel is executive director of the San Diego & Imperial Center of Excellence<\/a>, a nonprofit that uses research and professional development to advocate on behalf of employers and students\u2019 needs.<\/p>\n

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