As the cost of living rises, employers are looking for new ways to support their staff.
For the Friends Center For Children, an early child care center in New Haven, that means building houses for their employees to live in — rent-free.
It’s part of a partnership with the Yale School of Architecture.
The center's executive director Allyx Schiavone said students from the Jim Vlock First Year Building Project have spent the last four months building the home with input from the future residents.
“The true power of the interaction between the Yale students and the center's teachers was about voice,” Schiavone said. “The teachers were heard. Teachers who normally in our society are ignored, shamed or belittled were seen.”
Schiavone said providing housing is one step to address the inequalities that are faced by early childhood educators, who are 97% female.
“The early care and education system is the foundation of our economy,” Shiavone said. “And the bedrock of that foundation are the teachers. And that system is in crisis. It works for no one. Parents pay too much. Educators make too little. Providers cannot survive, businesses can thrive, and our children are stuck in the middle. And the economy suffers a lot.”
Assistant teacher Paris Pierce and her three kids have lived in a house provided by the center for two years.
“I am so grateful to the Friends Center for creating a safe space in my life where I can wake up without the burden of worrying about my stability, and for giving my children a chance to participate in activities that bring them joy,” Pierce said.
To qualify for the program, Schiavone said the teachers are evaluated based on income.
“We're really looking at people who are in a stage of life where they are looking to increase or enhance their life stage,” Schiavone said. “So a lot of single moms, for example. And if you're a family that has two incomes, you may not qualify for the housing, because we look at it from an income level and dependent level.”
The center said six families will be housed by this fall, and they plan to house 24 of their employees and their families by 2027.
Friends Center for Children serves kids aged 3 months to five years. They have two locations in New Haven.
