collaborative guest post
The childcare industry has been hurting for quite some time. Unfortunately, the pandemic did not help matters. As a result, planning for child care takes much more thought than it previously did, considering the current challenges. In this article, we will review some of those challenges, break down statistics that reveal additional issues and look at ways of navigating the current childcare landscape.
Summertime Does Not Always Mean Fun Time
Working families view summer differently than most. While it means a school break for their children, it also means a need for childcare where there will be challenges. For many families, summer child care is an expensive option. Then there are other issues. Over 51 percent of children in the United States live in areas of the country identified as “childcare deserts.”
These are communities that are either underserved or have no childcare services. Many working families reside in childcare deserts. Then there is the matter of timetables. Not all childcare providers are flexible enough to meet the requirements of a family with working parents on shift work.
Statistics Verify The Challenges
A WeeCare.co survey conducted in June 2022 shows that 68 percent of parents had difficulties securing child care this summer. In addition, 38 percent of parents in the survey group said the summer child care they found had a waitlist. A further 24 percent of parents were on a waitlist for summer childcare. These issues have a severe impact on the average working family household. The same survey found that 66 percent of parents said they made job sacrifices because of the limited availability of child care. Those sacrifices included compromising household income or job security.
By The Numbers
If that isn’t enough, the cost of childcare continues on an upward trajectory. A total of 33 percent of parents in the survey say they discovered childcare costs had jumped in price compared to a year ago. But, how much of an increase? Here is a breakdown according to the WeeCare survey:
Thirty-one percent of parents surveyed noted an increase in summer childcare costs of between 6 and 10 percent. A further 29 percent found prices had increased between 11 and 20 percent, whereas 20 percent of parents claim an increase of between 21 and 30 percent in their summer childcare costs. A total of 7 percent of parents report increases in the 31 to 40 percent range, and another 7 percent say they went up by 50 percent or more. Only 6 percent of parents in the survey indicated that their summer childcare costs had increased by just 5 percent.
How To Support Working Families
The WeeCare survey asked working families what support format would be appreciated if it assisted in securing top-quality, reliable, and affordable child care service. The top four responses include:
Childcare or referred daycare is either provided by employers or sponsored by them
Local licensed daycare facilities with more open spots to take on more children
The government financially supports childcare services through subsidies
Employers becoming flexible enough to help solve summer childcare challenges
Childcare Benefits Would Also Help
One possible solution to help alleviate the pressure on working parents to find appropriate summer childcare is childcare benefits from employers. But would working parents take advantage of such an offer? The WeeCare survey says 93 percent of US participating parents do not receive child care benefits. That compares to just 7 percent of working parents who do and utilize every penny of it for summer childcare. On another note, 78 percent of parents in the survey say they suffer anxiety and stress each summer trying to pin down childcare services.
Where Parents End Up Going
The option of job sacrifices, such as reducing work hours, is not the preferred method of dealing with the need for summer child care for most working families. However, they have found alternatives that seem to be working. The other options also explain many working parents' high anxiety and stress during summer. The other sources of help come from the following:
Grandparents or other family members (32%)
No secured summer childcare (21%)
Have secured summer childcare (16%)
Part-time babysitting service (5%)
Summer day camp programs within the community (5%)
The numbers shift slightly for parents of preschool-aged children:
Have secured summer childcare (34%)
Grandparents or other family members (17%)
Nannies or babysitters (8%)
Summer day camp programs within the community (8%)
No secured summer childcare (8%)
Childcare Benefits Programs Exist
Several childcare benefit programs are available to parents who work. However, these parents must pursue them to receive them. That is unless they work for an employer that provides a child care benefit program that offers funds to either cover or help offset the cost of childcare services. In addition, this is also why more companies are creating in-house childcare facilities.
Not only do they provide child care near where parents work, but this service is something many companies use as a tool to attract and retain quality employees. In today’s world, such an offer of in-house child care services removes working parents' stress and anxiety and helps keep families together and happy.
Final Thoughts
Childcare planning during summer school breaks is complex enough as it is. However, there are better solutions to the problem, and that usually rests with the employer to work out. By either providing child care benefits in a monetary form or in-house child care services, the issue of making suitable arrangements removes employees who are parents from concentrating on their jobs without concern over childcare matters.
Although it sounds simple, the childcare industry has been hurting for quite some time. The pandemic revealed weak spots that should need repair sooner than later—until then, seeking summer child care may continue to be a problem for working parents.
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Sandra Chiu works as Director at LadyBug & Friends Daycare and Preschool.
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