enormous gaps in access to affordable child care , and the outsized burden that remains on women to fill the unpaid role of caring for children at home . 13
In response to the immediate crisis of COVID-19 , DCYF distributed $ 400 million in stabilization grants funded through the federal American Rescue Plan Act ( ARPA ) to licensed child care programs . These emergency relief funds kept many child care businesses afloat during the pandemic . In Washington , 62,370 child care slots were maintained through ARPA funds . Of providers who received ARPA stabilization grants nationally : 14
• 92 % said the funding helped them stay open
• 46 % used the funds to pay debts taken on during the pandemic , including 63 % of those in family homes
• 75 % used the funds for compensation , but still struggle to provide competitive wages and benefits to attract and retain staff
Stabilization grants demonstrated that public funding can help licensed child care programs stay open , but the grants have concluded and were intended to provide short-term relief rather than address this industry ' s systemic challenges . Emergency funding , and the commitment and resourcefulness of child care providers , helped the child care sector persevere through the initial stage of the public health emergency .
Licensed child care programs face significant challenges recruiting , retaining and supporting staff in a tight labor market amid rising inflation and competition from retail , hospitality and service sectors that offer higher wages and benefits . Nationally , the child care workforce ' s August 2022 level was 8.4 % below its employment levels in February 2020 , with 88,300 child care jobs lost . 15 Child care providers , despite having specialized expertise and training , can frequently earn higher wages and receive better benefits at big box retailers and fast-food restaurants than they can educating our children .
Even before COVID-19 , Washington was short thousands of child care openings : The task force ’ s 2021 industry assessment revealed that 63 % of children lived in areas with inadequate supplies of licensed child care . 16 The task force ’ s 2019 “ Mounting Costs of Child Care ” analysis estimated that , due to child care issues , 27 % of Washington parents with young children reduced to part-time work hours and 18 % quit . The collective impacts of child care shortages are staggering :
• Pre-pandemic , employee turnover and missed work due to child care access issues cost Washington employers an estimated $ 2.08 billion annually .
• Including missed opportunities for businesses and consumer spending , Washington ’ s economy loses an estimated $ 6.5 billion annually because of child care shortages .
• Lack of access to affordable child care leads to working parents in Washington foregoing $ 14 billion in lost wages each year . 17
• In a January 2022 survey , 71 % of parents reported that difficulty finding child care affected their ability to work . 18
Foundation , March 9 , 2022 .
15
16 C3TF , Child Care Access Strategy , June 202 . 17 Washington State Department of Commerce , The Mounting Costs of Child Care . 2019 .
2022 COST OF QUALITY CHILD CARE LEGISLATIVE REPORT 11