Chambers & the Child Care Crunch

It’s not easy being a parent. And parents who don’t have affordable child care options often find themselves leaving the labor force to stay home.

Why it matters:?Workforce development remains a top priority for many chambers but lack of child care keeps labor force participation steady.

• The U.S. has over?10 million open jobs?and the?labor force was steady for most of 2022.
• The child care industry has?8% fewer workers?than before the pandemic.
• Infant care costs range from?$5,400 to $24,000 annually?across the U.S.?

What it means:?Chambers are stepping in to help solve the child care crisis locally to help their members and employers fill open positions.

• The Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce is?launching a task force?for statewide and local early childhood education and child care policies.
• A partnership including the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce created a?Family Friendly Workplace Program?to help local businesses support working families.
• After two providers closed their doors in Columbus, Neb.,?the chamber helped start a nonprofit child care center?with local companies contributing to the cause.

Chamber Support:?The ACCE Foundation created a?resource guide for prenatal-to-three?efforts, including examples from chambers and partners. It includes a?guide for chambers?on how to support these efforts and a?communications toolkit.

Keep reading:?There’s a lot out there on child care, its impact on workforce and efforts to move toward solutions. Here are a few examples for a deeper dive:

• Lightcast’s Demographic Drought report shared?child care challenges and the impact on the labor market.
• The U.S. Chamber shares options businesses have to support working parents in its?Employer Roadmap.
• Watch: The Center for American Progress created a video called?The Economic Realities of Child Care.