Finding a child care opening is not the biggest problem for Madison County parents. Paying for it, and finding care that fits their work hours, is. That was one of the main takeaways Tuesday when the Greater Jackson Chamber presented the results of the Madison County Child Care Needs assessment, WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reported.
The presentation laid out what the study found, why child care matters to the local economy and several strategies employers and community leaders could consider. Ashley LimBetti, the founder and principal consultant behind the study, said the goal was to put numbers to an experience many families already know well.
"If you want an economy that is functioning, if you want a workforce that can go to work, childcare is what you need," LimBetti said. "The point of this study was to really quantify what we all feel as parents, that child care is hard, you have to make it work."
According to the findings, parents named cost, hours and quality as the main barriers. Among parents who want child care but do not use it, 72% said cost is a challenge. Families in the county who do use child care pay about twice what is considered affordable, the study found.
Wyde Edwards Jr. of West Tennessee Healthcare said the numbers were eye-opening. "I didn't realize child care is so expensive now," he said. "I see now, a better understanding of the choices that parents have to make with child care versus a job."
Two strategies were proposed. The first is employer-contracted slots, in which employers reserve child care spaces with local providers as an employee benefit and share the cost with workers. The second is a workforce pathway that would let high school and college students train in local child care classrooms while earning credit toward a credential.
"There's a way to really as an employer invest in helping your people that has a double bottom line," LimBetti said. The study noted that only 23% of Tennessee employers currently invest in child care for their employees.
Sources: WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News; Greater Jackson Chamber