Freeport daycare owner says she has not taken a salary to keep childcare affordable
Janna Rodriguez founded The Innovative Daycare Corp. in 2018 after seeing firsthand how a lack of child care can impact families.
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As child care costs continue to rise, one Freeport daycare owner says she is sacrificing her own paycheck to make sure local families can still afford quality care.
Janna Rodriguez founded The Innovative Daycare Corp. in 2018 after seeing firsthand how a lack of child care can impact families.
“As a child, my mother did not have access to childcare,” Rodriguez said. “Due to that, I understood the importance of early childhood education from a very young age.”
Rodriguez operates a CDA-certified childcare program that offers structured early childhood education, including a bilingual curriculum in English and Spanish.
But Rodriguez says providing high-quality care while keeping tuition affordable has become increasingly difficult.
“The profit margins are so thin in early childhood education and running a child care facility, especially one that’s rooted in quality,” she said.
Rodriguez says she often pays for meals, learning supplies and classroom activities out of her own pocket rather than pass those costs on to parents.
“I haven’t had a salary and I’ll probably continue not having a salary until we truly work toward an equitable, sustainable childcare system, ” Rodriguez said.
Despite the financial challenges, Rodriguez says she remains committed to serving local families. Many of the children in her care have been enrolled since they were infants.
“So many of the children in our care have been with us since they were six weeks old,” she said. “They’re practically my family.”
Rodriguez hopes her story highlights the challenges facing both child care providers and the families who rely on them as the cost of care continues to climb.
