Child Care Disruptions
3 in 10 households with children under 5 continue to experience child care disruptions, forcing them to make difficult choices.
Child care disruptions, December 1-13, 2021
Percent of households where children < 5 years were unable to attend child care in last 4 weeks
Source: Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey. Note: Universe is adults in households with children under 5 years of age.
As parents pivot back into the workforce, families with children under 5 still face difficult child care decisions. Affordable, quality options continue to dwindle – leaving families in the lurch. 3 in 10 adults experienced a child care disruption in the 4 weeks ending December 13, 2021.
The impact on both careers and workplaces is not trivial. More than 2 million parents cut their work hours to care for children, and 1.8 million parents took unpaid leave to care for children. More than 1 million left a job, another 338,000 lost a job, and 1.3 million didn’t look for a job because of child care disruptions — all of which mean reduced income that can cause a family to skip a rent or mortgage payment, delay seeking needed health care, and struggle to put food on the table. Not surprisingly, this all coincides with a drop in women in the workforce (Employment Rate by Gender).
Child care workers have suffered the effects of the pandemic alongside families. Nearly two-thirds of child care centers and other home care providers experienced recent staff shortages, compared to 36% pre-pandemic, resulting in workers who are more anxious, stressed, and burned out.1 Roughly a quarter struggle to pay for food.2 Centers across the country have struggled with high turnover and difficulties hiring. 35% of centers across Louisiana reported that more than a quarter of their positions are vacant and remained unfilled.3 With a national average pay of only $12 per hour, many workers are looking for careers outside of child care that offer higher pay and reduced stress.2 Those who remain are further burdened with the pressures of being overworked, understaffed, and underpaid.
With American Rescue Plan dollars available to shore up the sector, the challenge will be how to leverage these one-time investments to expand financial supports and stabilize the workforce.
“Child Care Shortages Weigh Heavily on Parents and Providers”. November, 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7cf2f62c45da32f3c6065e/t/61a51257cb3aea5591b7aedd/1638208087990/child-care-shortages-nov2021.pdf
“Who is Providing for Child Care Providers? Part 2”. September, 2021. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5e7cf2f62c45da32f3c6065e/t/6156198766d33570a5a8614d/1633032583516/providing-for-providers-factsheet-part2-sept2021-2.pdf
“Staffing and compensation are at the heart of building a better early childhood system”. Bassok, Markowitz, Baines, and Fares. Brookings. December, 2021. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brown-center-chalkboard/2021/12/01/staffing-and-compensation-are-at-the-heart-of-building-a-better-early-childhood-system/