Mothers who were unable to find a child care program were significantly less likely to be employed than those who found a child care program, whereas there was no impact on fathers’ employment.

families reported difficulty finding child care. (See Appendix for data sources and methodology) New ECPP findings demonstrate that a mother’s employment is closely tied to her family’s ability to find child care, while the CAP poll finds that with access to more reliable and affordable child care, mothers say they would take steps to increase their earnings and advance their careers. Finally, the report outlines federal policy solutions that are crucial to supporting mothers in the workforce. The report then presents results from a national poll conducted by the Center for American Progress and GBA Strategies, which asked parents what career decisions they would make if child care were more readily available and affordable. Based on new analysis of the 2016 Early Childhood Program Participation Survey (ECPP), it demonstrates how families are having difficulty finding child care under the current system and how lack of access to child care may be keeping mothers out of the workforce. This report highlights the relationship between child care and maternal employment and underscores how improving child care access has the potential to boost employment and earnings for working mothers. 7 Nationally, the cost of lost earnings, productivity, and revenue due to the child care crisis totals an estimated $57 billion each year. 6 American businesses, meanwhile, lose an estimated $12.7 billion annually because of their employees’ child care challenges. For millions of parents, that insecurity can mean working fewer hours, taking a pay cut, or leaving their jobs altogether. 5 When problems with child care arise, parents must scramble to find alternative options-or miss work to care for their children.

Businesses rely on employees, and employees rely on child care.

There is a growing awareness of the links among access to child care, parental employment, and overall economic growth. 4 Too often, mothers must make job decisions based on child care considerations rather than in the interest of their financial situation or career goals. 3 In a 2018 survey conducted by the Center for American Progress, mothers were 40 percent more likely than fathers to report that they had personally felt the negative impact of child care issues on their careers. 2Ĭhild care challenges have become a barrier to work, especially for mothers, who disproportionately take on unpaid caregiving responsibilities when their family cannot find or afford child care. In fact, in 2016 alone, an estimated 2 million parents made career sacrifices due to problems with child care. Whether due to high cost, limited availability, or inconvenient program hours, child care challenges are driving parents out of the workforce at an alarming rate. Today, many families with young children must make a choice between spending a significant portion of their income on child care, finding a cheaper, but potentially lower-quality care option, or leaving the workforce altogether to become a full-time caregiver. However, employers cannot solve the nation’s child care crisis alone, and a few days of backup child care do not meet the needs of parents who must coordinate and pay for full-time year-round care. This employee-led effort demonstrates the clear connection between access to affordable, quality child care and labor force participation-especially for mothers. These mothers are “tired of seeing colleagues quit because they can’t find childcare.” 1 The Momazonians are calling on Amazon to subsidize a backup child care option for when their primary child care arrangement falls through, similar to the benefits offered by its peers such as Apple, Microsoft, and Google. The group of nearly 2,000 Amazon employees with young children argues that a lack of affordable child care has prevented talented women from progressing in their careers. In March 2019, a group of mothers working for Amazon-known as “Momazonians”-organized an information-gathering and advocacy campaign that urged the company to provide a backup child care benefit.

New life program at u.g.m women