Democratizing Labor: A Case Study Exploring the Possibilities of Community-Based, Worker-Owned Childcare Cooperatives Among Immigrant Latinas

Background and Purpose: Two demographic shifts have considerably transformed the caregiving landscape: the transition of women, either by desire or necessity, into the paid labor market and a rising aging population. The concomitant rise in demand for and decrease in supply of caring labor has created a so-called “care deficit.” Such a deficit raises questions regarding not only the adequacy of caring services in relation to access, cost, and quality, but also the interrelated conditions under which this labor is conceived of and delivered increasingly within the market. As an alternative to for-profit configurations that prioritize profit maximization, community-based, socially responsible models—specifically worker-owned cooperatives—have emerged as a promising means through which to organizationally prioritize quality care and labor, in terms of democracy, equality, and solidarity.

Methods: To explore the ways in which worker-owned, childcare cooperatives do or might demonstrate enhanced labor conditions as compared to non-cooperative childcare organizations, we: (i) conducted a review of literature concerning contemporary labor conditions of childcare workers within the United States; (ii) reviewed publicly-available information concerning the Beyond Care Childcare Cooperative (BCCC), a worker-owned childcare cooperative launched in 2008 in Brooklyn, New York by 19 immigrant Latinas—las fundadoras; and, (iii) analyzed data obtained from an internal survey conducted by one of the co-presenters while serving as the Director of Cooperative Development at the Center for Family Life (a community-based, non-profit agency that assisted with the launch and on-going technical support of the BCCC) detailing the social, emotional, and economic well-being of las fundadoras prior to and following their joining the coop.

Results: A review of the literature reveals that the labor conditions of those providing childcare services in non-cooperative organizations have come to be defined by chronically low wages, poor (if any) benefits, and lack of advancement opportunities. In contrast, findings reveal that BCCC worker-owners earn approximately $15/hour, significantly greater than the industry average of $9.48/hour and New York’s hourly average of $12.37 among childcare workers. Also, as compared to an industry average of 30% yearly turnover, BCCC reports a 6.8% average yearly turnover for the past 8 years. And, with respect to emotional and social well-being, las fundadoras of BCCC report positive improvements in emotional and psychological well-being (e.g., decreased feeling of stress, anxiety, depression, isolation and increased self-esteem), greater confidence in advocating for their needs, and greater time with their own families.

Conclusions and Implications: This case study emphasizes the critical importance of continued research on the worker-owned cooperative model and its impact on labor conditions, as well as the social and emotional well-being of those [women] proving caring and service-oriented labor. Further inquiry will provide the socio-political force to positively influence the development—structurally and fiscally—of those models best positioned to not only meet escalating care needs but also do so with a keen understanding of the ways in which “quality jobs = quality care” (http://phinational.org/).