By Roxanne Cordonier
1st Vice President/Programs, DWGC

I am the product of a working mother and father.

My mom was a public school teacher and my dad was a farmer and a personnel manager at a manufacturing plant. As a child, my brothers and I had a series of babysitters and care givers. As an adult, I was the co-host of a morning radio show, and a single mother.

Finding someone to take care of my son beginning at 4AM Monday through Friday, was no easy task.  For several years I would carry my sleeping son to a neighbor’s house and put him back in bed, then on to work. Things got tougher when I moved away and struggled to find anyone anywhere to watch my child and get him to school. When I went back to finish my college degree, a rotating cast of friends helped my son with his homework, while I was in class. 

I have lived the struggle of finding and paying for quality child care. The cost to families today has become astronomical. The shortage was worsened after COVID when the subsidies from the state and the federal government ended. Many centers closed, others struggled to find qualified workers. Our guest speaker for the May 12th meeting, Derek Lewis, estimates that about 4,000 child care openings are currently needed in Greenville County. That number will grow as the population in the Upstate continues its upward trajectory. 

To learn more about this issue, we turned to an agency that’s been at the forefront of the drive for more resources for parents including child care. Greenville First Steps is a nonprofit organization that funds programs aimed at increasing the number of Greenville County children who enter kindergarten on track and ready to succeed. Last year, Greenville First Steps invested $2.5 million in early childhood education including early literacy, parenting support services and increasing the availability of quality child care.

Derek Lewis is the executive director of Greenville First Steps. He also serves as the chair of Greater Good Greenville and sits on the board of the Community Foundation of Greenville. Derek previously served for eight years as an elected member of the Greenville County Schools Board of Trustees. His wife, Hedrick, teaches in Greenville County schools, and their son, WIlliam, is an 8th grader at Hughes Academy.

Solving the shortage of affordable child care in Greenville County will require flexibility and creativity. As an experienced community planner, Tina Belge has studied the issue extensively and has incorporated that knowledge into her campaign for an at-large City Council seat. Tina will share some of her ideas regarding revising city and county zoning codes to permit more child care centers at our May meeting. As the mother of two young children Tina takes this issue personally. 

Dr. Elizabeth Jordan currently works in the ASPIRE Scholars Initiative, a program at Greenville Tech that helps students meet their academic and professional goals. She has worked for 20 years in academic settings or with nonprofit organizations. She’s also a single mom, navigating the challenges of finding and affording child care in Greenville County for her 7-year-old son, William.

The Greenville Chamber of Commerce recognizes the importance of improving the accessibility and affordability of child care and has made it one of their top priorities in the 2025 South Carolina Legislative session. Senate Bill 47 is currently being reviewed by the Senate Finance Committee, the bill would increase the maximum tax credit to employers who have created child care programs for their employees. Employers can also receive a tax credit if they help cover employees child care costs at outside providers. Additionally the bill would create a new, refundable income tax credit for full-time employees at licensed child care facilities in South Carolina. Greenville City Councilmember Dorothy Dowe thinks the bill would help people who want to work in child care but need extra financial support.

During the month of May, we will also honor mothers and mentors everywhere. Democratic Women invites you to ask your mother, daughter, mentor or mentee to join you at the May 12th meeting.