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
FFYF’s Blueprint for Progress
Across the political spectrum, voters and policymakers recognize the importance of investing in policy solutions that support healthy development in children, beginning at birth, while allowing working parents to pursue …
New Report from U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation on the Impact of COVID-19 on Working Parents
It’s no secret that many parents are reaching the end of their ropes as the Coronavirus pandemic drags on. For many, it has permanently impacted their career paths and the …
Women’s Workforce Participation Is At Its Lowest Point Since The 80s. Child Care Is An Essential Part Of The Solution.
The September jobs report makes clear what economists have been fearing throughout the COVID-19 pandemic—this economic crisis is disproportionately affecting working women, and stands to set progress on women’s workplace …
FFYF Releases State Fact Sheets, Highlighting Unique Local Landscapes
This summer, FFYF released updated state fact sheets, which draw on numerous data sources to offer details about the early childhood opportunities in each state made possible through federal and state …
On Grandparents Day, Let’s Celebrate And Support Grandparents As Caregivers
This weekend, families across the U.S. will celebrate Grandparents Day. As we take the time to recognize the grandparents in our lives, we should also consider the important role that …
Survey Highlights Growing Child Care Concerns for Parents as Pandemic Continues
A new national survey of parents of children under age five from the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) and Morning Consult reaffirms the importance of child care for our economic recovery …
America’s Child Care Crisis Sees Major Uptick in Media Coverage
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated financial challenges that child care providers have faced for years, pushing the industry to the brink of collapse. Anxious parents and struggling child care providers …
Working Families are Losing Access to Child Care as Providers Struggle to Stay Open
America needs child care relief to keep the industry afloat during the nation’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The disastrous economic crisis has hit the child care industry especially …
Report: Communities of Color Among Most Disadvantaged in the U.S
Save the Children recently released the first ever analysis and ranking of how each county in America protects and provides for its children. The report revealed that the most disadvantaged …
Growing Child Care Crisis Impacting Parents Returning to Work
Extended closures have forced nearly half of child care providers to close their doors and those still operating or reopening will have to operate on financial losses for months to …
National Poll Finds Essential Workers, Families Struggling with Child Care During Crisis
A new survey released by the Bipartisan Policy Center finds that the current health crisis in America is highlighting the challenges many families face with child care, both for remote …
FFYF Joins Advocates in Calling on Congress to Consider Child Care in COVID-19 Stimulus Package
FFYF has joined dozens of other child advocacy organizations in a letter to Congress requesting “significant attention to and investment in the child care and early learning sector” as part …
