社区黑料

Top Takeaways is a series of recaps from important conversations, town halls, webinars and virtual events about early learning.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation鈥檚 #TalentForward virtual series focuses on education and workforce pathways for all Americans. A on Aug. 17 brought together business and policy experts to share their insights into and hopes for joining the puzzle pieces of work and family in the post-COVID era. Moderated by Cheryl Oldham, the Chamber Foundation鈥檚 senior vice president of education and workforce, the panel comprised:

• Lilia Vergara, director of human resources at
• Alessandra Lezama, founder and CEO of
• Laura Kaloi, partner at
• Abby McCloskey, founder and principal at

Here are our top takeaways:

1. Child care is on everyone鈥檚 minds. Oldham said she鈥檚 never seen this much focus on the issue. Citing the Center for American Progress鈥檚 , she noted the particularly steep decline in small, family-run care businesses even before Covid. While noting that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to fix the problem, Oldham said that employers are trying new approaches and the media is reporting on the crisis like never before, even while parents are still wrestling with what鈥檚 on the horizon. Lezama, who invoked her own experience as a single mom as the genesis of TOOTRiS, noted a groundswell of enthusiasm for reinventing child care, making it convenient, affordable and on demand. She called child care 鈥渢he glue that holds communities together.鈥�

2. Businesses are stepping up. Well, some are. For example, Dr. Bronner鈥檚, the organic products manufacturer based in Vista, California, has about half of its 280 employees working on site and half working remotely. Some have part-time or nontraditional shifts, and the TOOTRiS platform offers flexible child care solutions, which are subsidized by the company. Lezama praised Dr. Bronner鈥檚 for getting the most out of their workforce by recognizing that family supports make better workers, while Vergara noted the impact on retention鈥攚hich, considering it can cost 150% of a salary to replace an employee鈥攑rofoundly affects the bottom line. Solving child care jams reduces anxiety and contributes to overall job satisfaction.

3. Re-engaging moms is a priority. The trend of women leaving the workforce during the pandemic is making it harder for businesses to attract talent. that women lost 140,000 net jobs in December 2020 alone, with Black and Latina women hit hardest, while a found 28% of women (compared to 10% of men) with kids under 18 in the household have temporarily or permanently left the workforce to become a primary caregiver to children. Making child care more affordable is a big part of bringing women back to work; , about 55% of families report spending at least $10,000 a year on child care.

4. Don鈥檛 expect much progress at the federal level. 鈥淐hild care is a workforce issue, regardless of where you are on the political spectrum,鈥� Oldham maintained. Kaloi said that both sides of the aisle recognize that U.S. companies need to stay competitive and that millennials expect more from their employers, and yet bipartisan momentum hasn鈥檛 materialized for sweeping, sustained change.

5. States can lead the way. Given the federal paralysis, Kaloi said states have an opportunity to build programs that expand the pipeline of child care providers, which could make their services more affordable. 鈥淭here is agreement,鈥� she said, 鈥渢hat we don鈥檛 have the workforce we need.鈥� McCloskey said she sees hope in using technology to make finding child care easier without jeopardizing quality. She鈥檚 also an advocate of reducing excessive regulations and elevating solutions that maximize parent choice.

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 社区黑料. Learn more here.