Supporting Entrepreneurs, Families, & Underserved Communities: Improving Access to Affordable Child Care
Summary
Access to high-quality, affordable child care for families is a growing concern across the nation. Inadequate child care costs parents and employers billions of dollars a year in lost income and productivity. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated child care shortages. The lack of affordable child care options is particularly challenging for families living in rural communities and families of color, who may experience greater gaps in access to child care. Improving access to high-quality, affordable child care has the potential to strengthen the workforce, increase equity in employment and economic opportunities*, and improve children’s outcomes (e.g. cognitive, social-emotional, and physical development).
Small business employers can play a key role in addressing the challenges employees (or prospective employees) frequently face in accessing high-quality, affordable child care. The policy solutions described below can help enable such action.
Source: Penn State Social Science Research Institute (2024). Supporting Entrepreneurs, Families, & Underserved Communities: Improving Access to Affordable Child Care.