New Report: How Washington's child care crisis impacts working families

Burden on working parents: A?new report from The Seattle Times and Associated Press details how the lack of affordable child care causes parents to exit the workforce. A national survey in 2022 found that 1 in 10 young children had a parent who had to quit, turn down, or drastically change a job because of child care problems.

Impacts on working mothers:?The child care crisis, in particular, keeps women out of the workforce. A national Labor Department study found that a 10% increase in the median price of child care was associated with a 1% drop in the maternal workforce.

"I really didn’t want to quit my job," said Auburn mother Nicole Slemp, but felt she had no other choice due to the high costs of care for her infant son.?

Education and employment gap:?The good news is that Washington women's participation in the workforce has recovered since the pandemic, reaching a historic high last December. However, that varies based on education levels.?

• Mothers with college degrees (bachelor's or higher) are more likely to work, while mothers without college degrees are more likely to give up work due to a child care disruption, according to an analysis from the Education Reporting Collaborative.

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