Quality, Affordable Child Care Strengthens the Workforce of Today and Tomorrow!
If you’re a Tennessean, the child care crisis impacts you. We have the numbers to prove it. Our 2022 report, “Workforce of Today and Tomorrow: The Economics of Tennessee’s Child Care Crisis” delivers unprecedented insight into the adverse economic impacts of Tennessee’s child care system dysfunction. The consequences: $2.6 billion annually in lost earnings and revenue.
Tennessee parents who encounter child care problems are hit hard – losing an estimated $1.65 billion in earnings each year. More than 80 percent of working parents reported employment disruptions due to inadequate child care, citing affordability, quality and access as major challenges. Specifically: 32 percent turned down a new job offer or promotion, 30 percent had pay or hours reduced or changed employment status to part-time, 26 percent quit or were fired, and 20 percent were forced to leave the workforce altogether.
It’s time Tennessee made high-quality child care a priority strategy for strengthening our early learning foundation and building our state’s human capital.
Send your legislators a message and let them know children and working families deserve high-quality, affordable child care:
Dear <insert legislator name>,
My name is <insert name>, and I live at <insert address> in your district. As one of your
constituents, I urge you to support policies that will provide more high-quality, affordable child care for Tennessee children.
Tennessee has a child care crisis. High-quality child care is unaffordable for many families, as it costs more than in-state college tuition. Additionally, parents have a difficult find time finding high-quality care. These challenges exacerbate the growing workforce labor shortage. High-quality child care, which enables adults to work while laying a foundation for children’s success in school and beyond, is a powerful strategy for growing Tennessee’s workforce of today and tomorrow simultaneously. It’s time for Tennessee to address this critical issue so that our children have access to the early care and education they need and deserve.
As you prepare for the 2024 legislative session, I urge you to consider policy solutions that will address the child care crisis. Thank you for your consideration and for your service to the state of Tennessee.
