First Things First recently hosted a forum to discuss child care challenges and solutions impacting the tribal gaming industry across Arizona.
FTF CEO Melinda Morrison Gulick welcomed representatives from tribal communities and gaming enterprises in Arizona to the forum at Burton Barr Library in Phoenix.
She also made the business case for child care highlighting the impact on working families, where on average infant care costs more than in-state tuition at an Arizona university.
“Families are saying that child care costs have increased and that the options have decreased,” Gulick said. “And 35% of Arizonans have left a job because of child care challenges and over the last four months, 82% said they missed work due to childhood challenges. This is impacting working families in Arizona every day.”
FTF Senior Director of Tribal Affairs Candida Hunter moderated a panel discussion with Thomas Cupis, treasurer of the Pascua Yaqui Tribe and Judy Ferreira, executive director of the Arizona Indian Gaming Association.
Ferreira, who is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe, talked about her time working for the tribe’s Apache Gold Casino. As she worked her way up through management, she highlighted all the elements that go into creating a thriving work environment for her employees and ultimately, the casino guests.
For example, the process to onboard and then retain a new employee includes multiple elements from new employee orientation to customer service training to team building activities and career advancements. When employers are investing time and money into their employees, it makes sense to want your employees to have peace of mind. And if an employee’s concern is on their children, then it’s not on the job at hand.
“When we don’t have the people’s mind on the job that they’re supposed to be doing, it’s scary,” Ferreira said. Employers and managers have to be understanding of the challenges that working parents face, she said. She said she always told her staff, “take care of your babies. Take care of your kids. Sometimes child care would fall through and someone would say, ‘I just need an hour to take my kid to my aunt’s.’”
Cupis spoke of his experience as a former secondary education teacher, to his current role as the tribe’s treasurer and hiring staff for a new child care center – the first on Pascua Yaqui tribal lands.
“We’re trying to hire staff and of the women applying for positions, around two-thirds had at least one point in their life where they had to step away from their jobs,” Cupis said. “I can see it in their applications and talking to mothers and families.”
The new child care facility, on track to open later this year, will provide opportunities to give tribal members new employment possibilities.
“We’ll be working to figure out those swing shifts and overnight shifts,” he said. The shifts with afternoon, evening and overnight hours are typically the most challenging for employees with children.
In addition, the tribe will be working on career and technical education programs to help grow the staff of the child care center, which will emphasize teaching the indigenous language and culture of the Yaqui people.
The forum ended with round table discussions among all attendees, one of whom shared about the need for extended hours of child care because the gaming enterprise is a 24-7 operation.
Others talked about the challenges of early childhood educators pay and providing them a livable wage and participating in a salary study.
Hunter wrapped up the forum by sharing FTF’s employer toolkit that includes ways employers can support their employees and their child care needs.
She thanked all attendees for the discussion of an important issue for the gaming industry which is an important economic driver for many tribal communities in Arizona.
“We are here as a partner and want to continue this conversation,” Hunter said.
