Working Families
Access to affordable, reliable, and high-quality early learning and child care opportunities provides working families with better job stability and overall economic security.
Here are five things to know about child care and working families.
- According to population data, between 1.2 and 1.5 million workers are affected by inadequate child care options each month. This results in anywhere from 9 to 26 million hours of potential work lost due to child care challenges in any given week (or 468 million to 1.4 billion hours a year.) [KPMB study 2024]
- According to polls, 59% of part-time or non-working parents say they would go back to work full-time if their child had access to quality child care at a reasonable cost.
- In 2024, the average annual cost of child care was $13,128, a 29% increase since 2020. [Child Care Aware of America, reported in the 19th]
- Child care helps parents return to or stay at work, which can generate an additional $94,000 in lifetime earnings for mothers.
- Data from the Small Business Majority indicates that child care related challenges impact career trajectories with 30% of employees quitting a job or turning down an offer and 27% of employees turning down promotions.
Learn more:
Posts
CAPSULE COLLECTION: Head Start
IN A NUTSHELL The Head Start program has served more than 40 million children in its 60-year history—giving kids a strong start through early learning, health, and nutrition services. Children …
Stand for Head Start Stories
Head Start is a federal program that makes a real differences in the lives of families. These are a few stories of the parents, advocates, and educators who have seen …
Research Finds Preschool Enrollment Can Increase Parent Income
Preschool enrollment has the potential to substantially impact parents’ incomes. Parents’ Earnings and the Returns to Universal Pre-Kindergarten, a study on the economic impact of universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) enrollment in …
How Do Families Decide on Child Care? A New Study Examines Early Learning and Care Decision-Making
Without sufficient federal funding for early learning and care services, options for children and their families remain limited. Thankfully, there are efforts underway to increase access to affordable, high-quality care. …
State-By-State: A Look At How Many Families Receive the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC)
The Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC) helps millions of working families cover a portion of their child care costs. In 2022, more than 5.7 million families nationwide benefitted …
MIECHV: Overview
The Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) program provides federal funds to states, territories, and tribal entities for voluntary, evidence-based home visiting services.
FFYF’s Sarah Rittling on Child Care for Working Families Act Introduction
WASHINGTON – Today, Vice Chair Patty Murray (D-WA) and Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA) re-introduced the Child Care for Working Families Act (CCWFA), comprehensive legislation that would address access, affordability, …
CCDBG: Overview
The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) Act provides federal funding to states for child care subsidies for low-income families with children under age 13.
House Education and Workforce Hearing Highlights Overwhelming Bipartisan Agreement that Child Care is Key to a Robust Economy
The House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education held a hearing this week to discuss how Congress can address child care availability and affordability to …
2025 FFYF Federal Guide to Early Learning and Care Programs
The 119th Congress has the opportunity to invest in America’s children, working families, and the economy through high-quality child care and early childhood education. This resource book is an introduction …
The First Five Questions for: Andrew Zimmern
In the latest installment of FFYF’s First Five Questions series, Sarah Rittling sat down with award-winning chef, restaurateur, and advocate Andrew Zimmern for a conversation about the intersection of child …
New Resource Reveals Notable Changes in Price and Supply of Child Care
This week, Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) released their annual report, Child Care in America: 2024 Price & Supply, which provides updated data on the current child care landscape …
