A statewide research analysis published in July revealed the lack of access to child care has resulted in a $6 billion loss to Washington’s economy.
Despite state investments that kept child care businesses afloat during the pandemic, the child care crisis remains severe, according to the study by Child Care Aware of Washington.
The state affiliate of a national nonprofit commissioned the analysis by research firm ECOnorthwest in Portland. The study found challenges such as disruptions, turnover, absenteeism and lost income due to child care issues amounted to $6.9 billion in 2023 in Washington.
Genevieve Stokes, director of government relations for the nonprofit, said without a system that addresses the root causes of child care deserts, families, providers and businesses will continue to feel the impacts.
“We’re still not at a place at a federal level or a state level where we’ve really solved the child care issue at a systemic level,” Stokes said. “The burden of this is falling on families, on small businesses and on child care providers. Child care providers have rooms standing empty because they just can’t pay for staff. They want to serve more people, and it’s this tough thing.”
Washington ranked 11th as the least affordable state for child care, according to the study. Child care workers said they struggle with low wages and difficult working conditions, while providers struggle with high turnover rates and recruitment challenges.
Recent state investments aim to address the child care crisis, such as the Fair Start for Kids Act, which was signed by Gov. Jay Inslee in 2021 to invest $1.1 billion to make early care and education more affordable for families.
Stokes said these investments are a step in the right direction but not nearly enough to meet the need.
Carol Flynn, early-learning program coordinator for Educational Service District 112 in Vancouver, agreed.
ESD 112 is a local partner of Child Care Aware and the two work to provide resources and referrals to families in Clark County seeking child care.
Flynn said she’s noticed the gap in access to child care for a long time, but the pandemic shed intense light on the issue.
“This is not a new challenge in our community, or in the state or nation since I’ve been in this field. These challenges have always existed,” Flynn said. “We’ve always had child care deserts, so a large number of families are finding care in other ways or not at all — saying no to employment or saying no to, you know, work hours and things like that. There’s a lot more work to do.”
The analysis further revealed child care deserts often affect parents’ ability to work.
Nearly 40 percent of parents in the state reported having quit their jobs or being fired since their children were born.
Additionally, about 62 percent of parents missed at least one day of work in the past three months due to lack of access to child care, according to the study.
Julie Worrall is the owner of in-home day care Sunflower Playschool in Battle Ground. Worrall started the business during the pandemic when many families were interested in switching to an in-home program.
Many parents have cited affordability, difficulty finding high-quality child care and location as common barriers, Worrall said.
As a small center, Worrall can care for as many as 10 children who are preschool age, and she charges about $60 a day.
Worrall said the need in Battle Ground is greater than what her center can provide, and many families are having to commute to Vancouver or settle for care they can’t afford as a result.
“They really can’t afford to pay a whole lot more than what they’re paying now, and at the same time, what they’re paying is not covering the expenses to really provide quality care,” Worrall said. “So it’s just kind of this vicious cycle that both families, and the business owners and operators are kind of all cycled in together, where we just can’t get out of.
“I really don’t know where we go from here, other than some huge investments from the state to make it make sense.”
