Advocacy News – July 2, 2024
What’s new: Last week in Washington D.C., the U.S. Department of Commerce, in partnership with the U.S. Chamber and U.S. Chamber Foundation, held the first-of-its-kind National Child Care Innovation Summit. As the lack of affordable and accessible childcare is a top issue hindering workforce participation, the Michigan Chamber was proudly in attendance to ensure Michigan is at the forefront of cutting-edge childcare innovation techniques and strategies. The summit brought together local, state and federal policymakers, early childhood providers, philanthropic leaders, and business stakeholders to discuss the reality of the country’s childcare industry and — most importantly — what’s next for childcare.
Here are the top take-aways from the Summit:
- Childcare is infrastructure. One of the first statements of the day set the stage for the chord the childcare industry is hoping to strike with stakeholders from every sector — from private businesses to government — childcare is infrastructure. Just like roads and cars, parents and workers need reliable childcare to get to work every day. This narrative is what is shaping current and future conversations around the issue and why businesses are honing-in on the need and focusing their efforts on developing opportunities for employees. There is no longer a push to bring businesses to the proverbial childcare table — they are here and ready to find solutions.
- Community-specific approaches are leading the charge. Many businesses from wide-ranging sectors, from semiconductors and construction to marketplace sellers, spoke about the benefits they were providing their employees to deal with childcare, from flexible hours to generous paid time off options and offering savings accounts for employees paying for childcare. However, in answering the question of how they are tackling the need of childcare, their answers were just as wide-ranging as their industries. Each business addressed individual communities with a different perspective. A few utilized on-site childcare, but most often the businesses were opting for partnerships with local community centers by providing additional funding for capacity expansion — both physical expansion or creation of a new facility and to establish non-traditional hours. As the childcare market is broken, community-based approaches are how businesses are meeting their employees’ needs.
- Delivery matters, but regulatory obstacles remain. Adding to the complexity of the issue, while simultaneously highlighting the importance of the industry, is the question of how providers meet children and parents where they are. Employers at the conference emphasized that each employee wants and needs something different out of a provider and that a one-size-fits-all solution will cut corners when solving this systematic issue. Holistic, mixed-model deliveries are the most effective approach. Notably, however is the increased difficulty providers face when establishing a center that welcomes children after traditional work hours and overnight and for those that are coming in for back-up care. These centers see increased regulations, red tape and cost that make it a nightmare to pursue.
What’s Next? The Chamber is building a robust, holistic to-do list to generate more supply of childcare providers, ensure the industry is supported, and continue to lessen the burden of the high cost. We want to hear from you! To make your voice heard or get involved in the MI Chamber’s childcare initiatives, contact Leah Robinson.