Washington Business Winter 2020 | Washington Business | Seite 49

business backgrounder | economy
annual cost
The
for
full-time quality care for one infant
in a licensed child care facility
ranges from a little more than
$10,000 to more
than $16,000
Part of the problem is that the number of
child care providers is not keeping pace
with population growth. The report notes
that the number of family child care providers has dropped 20%
in five years, while the state’s population has grown more than
400,000. The capacity of licensed child care provider slots grew
by just 3,000 children during that time.
When families do manage to find child care, it’s expensive.
According to data from Child Care Aware of Washington, families
in Washington pay more on average for an infant in a family child
care program than all but two other states. The annual cost for
full-time quality care for one infant in a licensed child care center
ranges from a little more than $10,000 to more than $16,000. In
some cases, it can cost more than the annual cost of tuition at
Washington’s public universities.
As a result, parents may transition from full-time to part-time
work, decline a career or education opportunity, quit their job or
end up being fired.
According to the survey, 48% of parents with young children
reported missing days at work, school or training in the last 6
months due to child care disruptions, and 40% reported the need
to arrive late and leave work early due to child care issues.
The direct cost to employers as a result of employee turnover or
missed work due to child care issues is $2.08 billion per year, the
report found.
The Washington State Child Care
Collaborative Task Force will use the
findings from the report to develop
legislative policy recommendations
and a strategy for achieving access
to affordable, high-quality child care
for all Washington families by 2025.
Ryan Pricco, director of policy
and advocacy for Child Care Aware,
said the study is helpful because it
defines the economic impact of a
problem that’s existed for a long
time. “We’ve known it had to impact
the economy in some way,” he said.
“Now, because of this report, we can
speak directly to that.”
Nicole Sohn, executive director
of the Journey Discovery Center in
Spokane, said she has heard from
parents who make 25 calls per day in their
attempt to find child care.
“People are not moving to Spokane
unless they know they can get a spot,” she said.
Overall, the report concluded that families, employers and the
state’s economy depend on the child care industry in the same
way they depend on public utilities, but the industry is largely
comprised of small businesses operating in a “broken market.”
Child care and early learning have well-documented value to the
workforce and to society, and yet most parents cannot afford to pay
for the true value of that child care, the report found.
Ultimately, the report concluded, without access to reliable,
quality child care, employees and employers both suffer.
“It’s a workforce issue. It’s an
education issue. It’s a rural issue. Most
important, it’s a Washington issue.
We need to educate people and
make them aware.”
— Amy Anderson, AWB government affairs
director, said of Washington’s child care crisis
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