Economy & Business
Child care is an integral pillar to supporting a thriving economy, with 27 million Americans relying on it to work. The national shortage of affordable child care programs is doing significant harm to family finances, businesses’ bottom lines, and the U.S. economy broadly.
Here are five things to know about child care and our economy.
- The United States economy loses an estimated $122 billion a year due to child care challenges.
- On average, businesses lose $1,640 a year for each working parent due to lost revenue and hiring costs because of insufficient child care, totaling $23 billion annually.
- 77% of small business leaders say access to high-quality, affordable child care is essential or important to strengthening the economy and helping workers.
- Investments in high-quality child care and early learning programs can generate up to $7.30 per every dollar invested.
- The availability of early childhood education programs attracts homebuyers and increases property values by $13 for every dollar invested in programs.
Learn more:
Posts
How a Lack of Affordable Child Care Impacts the Economy
Two-thirds of all children ages five and under need some form of child care because all of the adults in their home are working. But child care remains both expensive …
New Bipartisan, Bicameral Proposal to Make Child Care More Affordable
U.S. Senators Katie Britt (R-AL) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) along with U.S. Representatives Mike Lawler (R-NY) and Salud Carbajal (D-CA) have introduced the Child Care Availability and Affordability Act and …
The First Five Things to Know About: The Britt-Kaine Bipartisan Child Care Plan
First Introduced: July 2024 Reintroduced: March 2025. Parents want to make child care choices that best support their family’s individual needs and their child’s development. This is especially true for …
FFYF Hosts “Child Care Means Business” Event in Conjunction with the Bipartisan Pre-K and Child Care Caucus
FEBRUARY 25, 2025 – What a great evening on Capitol Hill! Thank you to everyone able to join the lively “Child Care Means Business” reception hosted by First Five Years …
Statement: FFYF on the Committee Passage of the Small Business Child Care Investment Act
Today, First Five Years Fund Executive Director Sarah Rittling released the following statement after the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship passed Senators Joni Ernst (R-IA) and Jackie Rosen’s …
The First Five Things To Know About: The Federal Tax Code and Child Care
Child care is not a luxury for American families – it’s a necessity. Yet the high costs associated with quality child care are rapidly outpacing most other expenses, including the …
White House Convening on Child Care
On September 27, First Five Years Fund (FFYF) attended the White House States Convening on Child Care, joining leaders from 34 states across the country as well as key stakeholders …
New Evidence Suggests Expanding Access to Pre-K is Good for the Economy
The White House Counsel of Economic Advisers recently released an issue brief presenting new findings that investing in universal pre-K has broad economic benefits. Child Care is Infrastructure: Evidence from …
Top Themes from the National Child Care Innovation Summit
“I’m here because child care is not only a social issue or a women’s issue. It is also an economic issue. In fact, I’d argue it’s one of the most …
The First Five Questions For: Caitlin Codella and Liat Krawczyk
In this month’s FFYF’s First Five Questions series – which brings together interesting leaders, experts, and voices together to talk about child care challenges and solutions – Executive Director Sarah …
How we’re celebrating Mother’s Day and Provider Appreciation Day
This weekend is both Mother’s Day AND Provider Appreciation Day so now is the time to recognize the important work of both moms and the early educators and providers they …
U.S. Treasury Convening Highlights Financial Challenges and Opportunities for Child Care Providers
On Tuesday, April 30th the White House hosted a convening with the U.S. Department of the Treasury to discuss potential solutions to alleviate the operational and financial challenges of running …
