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 Joins White House, SBA for Child Care Roundtable
This week, the White House and Small Business Administration (SBA) announced new actions to support small businesses that offer child care for working families. FFYF Executive Director Sarah Rittling joined …
IN CONTEXT: Child Care Costs Surpass Other Major Family Expenses
We’ve all heard that families with young children in the United States today are struggling to afford child care. Now we know just how tough it really is. According to …
Bipartisan Child Care Town Hall with Representatives Bonamici and Hinson
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The First Five Years Fund (FFYF) hosted Congresswomen Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR) and Ashley Hinson (R-IA) for a town hall to discuss the importance of child care in their …
Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month: A Deep Dive Into Dual Language Learners
As FFYF commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month, we take a moment to reflect on the remarkable contributions of Latinx communities across the United States. In recognizing and celebrating our nation’s Latinx …
ZERO TO THREE Releases State of Babies 2023 Yearbook
ZERO TO THREE recently released the State of Babies Yearbook: 2023, an in-depth report on how state and federal policies have impacted the lives of families and their young babies. …
What Can Advocates Learn From How New Mexico and Alabama Are Transforming Their Child Care Systems?
What states have been successful in transforming their early care and education (ECE) landscape and expanding high-quality child care options for young children? How are they doing it? And how …
GAO Report: Family Child Care Networks
Over 7 million children from birth through age 5 are cared for in a family child care (FCC) or home-based setting. Families may choose FCC for a number of reasons: …
Department of Education Calls for Applications for FY2023 CCAMPIS Awards
Last week, the Department of Education (ED) released a Federal Register Notice inviting applications for new awards for FY2023 for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. …
Report Highlights Precarious State Progress on Child Care Assistance Policies
Last week, the National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) released a report, “Precarious Progress: State Child Care Assistance Policies”, which examines the gaps and progress within state child care assistance policies …
Understanding Parents’ Complex Child Care Choices — or Lack Thereof
Parental choice is a fundamental value of our child care system. While all parents want their young children cared for in a safe and warm environment, they have varied needs …
New 50 State Analysis Shows Impact of Federal Child Care Program
New analysis of all 50 states and the District of Columbia from First Five Years Fund (FFYF) shows that while the nation’s main federal child care program – the Child …
Child Care and Development Block Grant: From Funding to Families
Child Care and Development Block Grant program funding goes to lead agencies in all 50 states, territories, and tribes to help low-income parents afford child care while they work or …
