Tennessee’s Child Care Crisis is an Economic Crisis

As Tennessee and other states nurture the reopening of their economies, a growing child care crisis poses extreme challenges for working parents and employers.

With many school systems remaining closed this fall and nearly half of all child care centers now closed as well, working parents of young children face high-pressure decisions about how they balance care for their kids, while earning a living. And their employers are deeply concerned about impacts on workforce productivity.

Prior to Covid-19, 98% of parents said problems with quality, affordability and access to child care had adverse impacts on their earnings and productivity at work.

Click the image below to view our 2022 Child Care Study.

Today, the pandemic has driven the already fragile child care industry –in Tennessee and across the nation –to the brink of collapse.

Fixing it will require creative solutions from both the public and private sectors, and making it a priority.

In case you missed them, below are links to some recent national news stories chock full of good information about the issue that we thought our readers would appreciate.

• CNBC: Employers may need to consider offering more support.
• Vox: America’s child care problem is an economic problem.
• Wall Street Journal: Amid Surge in Covid-19, Companies and Parents Brace for More Child-Care Conflicts.
• Forbes: 40% Of U.S. Child Care Centers Say They’ll Close Permanently Without Public Assistance.