Child Care Supports Economic Development

According to recent studies, 90% of parents using full-service child care centers say that access to a work-site center positively impacts their ability to be productive at work. Moreover, 96% of back-up child care users say that employer-sponsored back-up care would be important if they were to change jobs.

American businesses lose $3 billion in productivity annually due to breakdowns in child care - when their employees are not able to come to work because school is canceled or caregivers are ill among many other interruptions in meeting her work demands.

As Indiana strives to attract business to the state, we can look at what is being done in other cities. Indiana needs to support and recognize that an increase of available high-quality child care is a critical amenity that will help attract more young qualified workers to the area. Therefore it is a challenge for Indiana to meet this very basic need.

As Morton Marcus and I traveled the state on our "Economic Dimensions of the Child Care Industry" tour, we listened to business and community development leaders tell us that there is a shortage of young skilled workers to meet their workforce needs. We also heard from parents that there isn't adequate high quality child care for their very young children. We heard from Chamber of Commerce leadership in some counties that there is an interest and need for high-quality centers developed in the area where families work. And families won't be the only ones to benefit as companies realize the strategic benefits of sponsoring child care with increased productivity, retention of key employees, and improved recruitment of top candidates.

Indiana needs to recognize child care as an integral component of economic development.

Carole Stein