How the Cost of Childcare Has Become a Workforce Issue

Bossed Up

We need to talk about the impact of the childcare crisis on the workforce! Some people may wonder why this topic matters beyond its impact on families of young children. The truth is, this issue has wide-reaching ramifications for the nation’s economy as a whole, and that deserves our attention whether we have children or not. In this episode, I share what the research and statistics reveal about the direct link between the exorbitant price of childcare and the labor shortage that’s crunching companies across the U.S.

Let’s break down why this is a problem everyone should care about:

• The disproportionate impact of childcare costs on different demographics;
• The broader ramifications on the economy as a whole;
• What organizations can do to start making a difference.

Related Links:

• Episode 424, The Jobs of America’s Next Silicon Valley https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode424
• Episode 434, The Economic Imperative of Affordable Childcare - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode434
• EPIC- Executives Partnering To Invest In Children - https://www.coloradoepic.org/
• Episode 463, a Different Approach to My Second Maternity Leave - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode463
• Episode 479, America’s Parents Are Not Okay - https://www.bossedup.org/podcast/episode479
• Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) Program - https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2016/09/30/2016-22986/child-care-and-development-fund-ccdf-program
• How Much Childcare Costs by State in the USA in 2024 - https://illumine.app/blog/how-much-childcare-costs-by-state-in-usa/
• Economic Data Underscores the Need for Significant, Sustained Investment in Child Care and Early Learning - https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2021/12/latest-economic-data-underscores-the-need-for-significant-sustained-investment-in-child-care-and-early-learning/
• Over Half of Families are Spending More Than 20% of Income on Child Care - https://www.ffyf.org/resources/2022/06/over-half-of-families-are-spending-more-than-20--on-child-care/
• How Child Care Disruptions Hurt Parents of Color Most - https://www.americanprogress.org/article/child-care-disruptions-hurt-parents-color/
• U.S. Child Care Crisis Is Holding Back The Workforce - https://www.forbes.com/sites/mariaflynn/2023/11/02/us-child-care-crisis-is-holding-back-the-workforce/
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing the labor force that is “Employed - With a job, not at work, Childcare problems” - https://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNU02096055
• $122 Billion: The Growing, Annual Cost of the Infant-Toddler Child Care Crisis - https://strongnation.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/1598/05d917e2-9618-4648-a0ee-1b35d17e2a4d.pdf?1674854626&inline;%20filename=%22$122%20Billion:%20The%20Growing,%20Annual%20Cost%20of%20the%20Infant-Toddler%20Child%20Care%20Crisis.pdf%22
• UPS Expands Emergency Day Care After Pilot Program Cuts Turnover - https://www.hrdive.com/news/ups-emergency-day-care-pilot-program-cut-turnover/697205/
• Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens Joins UPS CEO Carol B. Tomé at the 2023 UPS Impact Summit - https://about.ups.com/us/en/newsroom/press-releases/our-strategy/2023-ups-impact-summit.html
• TAKE ACTION with Bossed Up - https://www.bossedup.org/takeaction
• Bossed Up Courage Community - https://www.facebook.com/groups/927776673968737/
• Bossed Up LinkedIn Group - https://www.linkedin.com/groups/7071888/