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
Brookings Analysis: Federal Child Care Proposal Would Help Families Struggling with Inflation
New analysis from the Brookings Institute shows that meaningful federal investment in child care and early learning will reduce the impact of inflation on working families, raise labor force participation …
CCAMPIS Releases Applications for New FY2022 Awards
The Department of Education has recently released a Federal Register Notice inviting applications for new awards for FY2022 for the Child Care Access Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) program. CCAMPIS …
New Emergency Bills to Address Baby Formula Shortages
This week the House will consider two pieces of legislation intended to address the nationwide infant formula shortage and supply chain disruptions. On Tuesday, House Appropriations Chair Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) …
For Moms Everywhere: Congress Should Invest in Child Care Before the Next Mother’s Day
Over the past two years, the pandemic has altered the landscape of motherhood, piling on even more new pressures and demands. Chief among those is the nationwide child care crisis: …
National Report Examines State Preschool Policies in 2020-2021
The National Institute for Early Education Research (NIEER) released the 2021 State of Preschool report, an annual survey of state preschool policies. The 19th edition of the report focuses on …
Administration Expands Eligibility Criteria for Head Start Programs
Big news for young children and their families! On April 21st, the Office of Head Start (OHS) announced it would expand categorical eligibility to include children who qualify for the …
Health care workforce turnover rates 43% higher among women with children under five
A new study from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on turnover rates among health care workers. Turnover rates were 43% higher among women …
House Ways & Means Subcommittee Holds Bipartisan Hearing to Highlight the Tremendous Impact of MIECHV on Families Ahead of Reauthorization
This week the House Ways & Means Subcommittee on Worker and Family Support held a hearing on improving family outcomes through home visiting. In a demonstration of the broad bipartisan …
New Report from Wells Fargo: America’s Economy Relies on Child Care
Employers are currently struggling to hire workers while workers – particularly women – are struggling to rejoin the workforce. Why? In large part because working mothers are dependent on child …
Survey of 5,000 Early Educators Shows Federal Investment is Essential to Future of Child Care
A new survey of 5,000 child care providers from across the country reinforces that federal funding is essential to the success of America’s early learning system. The survey results show …
The Child Care Crisis: Why the Status Quo is Failing Families, Early Educators, and our Economy
Now is the time to support children and families by ensuring affordable, quality early care and education options. Finding and affording quality child care and early learning options shouldn’t be …
Gender “Quit” Gap Widest in States With Most Child Care Breakdowns
Nationwide, women are quitting their jobs at a higher rate than men. That gender quit gap is widest in the states with the most child care disruptions, according to a new report from the …
