Our communities are made richer when we take good care of our children and each other. That means parents should have the support they need to work, rest, spend time together, and live full and vibrant lives. That support must include child care that meets families’ unique needs, regardless of where they live or how much money they make.
In America today, more than two-thirds of children from birth through age 6 have all parents in the workforce (both coupled and solo parents). Nearly 70 percent of moms with children under age 6 are in the workforce.1 Children need safe, nurturing care for their healthy development, and parents in the labor force need child care options that meet their families’ needs and won’t break the bank. In the absence of quality affordable child care, many parents will leave the workforce or reduce their hours out of necessity, sacrificing economic security and long-term earnings—and this is particularly true for mothers.
The nationwide survey of 1,175 parents found that among parents with children 5 and under, nearly 1 in 3 would increase their work hours, and 1 in 4 would seek a new job if reliable, affordable child care were available.
TCF recently worked with Morning Consult to find out more about what would be possible for parents, especially mothers, if more affordable and reliable child care was available. We found that ubiquitous, reliable child care options would reduce stress for families, and such options would also make it possible for moms, dads, and other caregivers to make career decisions based on their professional and financial desires rather than logistical preferences or necessities. The nationwide survey of 1,175 parents found that among parents with children 5 and under, nearly 1 in 3 would increase their work hours, and 1 in 4 would seek a new job if reliable, affordable child care were available.
How Care Affects Parents’ Labor Market Decisions
Today, parents knit together a patchwork of different solutions to make sure their children are receiving the care they need. The Morning Consult polling showed that for at least half of parents with young children, that includes having one parent at home at least once a week. Roughly a quarter of parents, and especially Black parents and parents of young children, rely on pre-school or a child care program for care once a week or more. Some parents also use school-based before- and after-school care, or have a friend or relative take care of their children. These trends are generally consistent with national polling from the Child Care for Every Family Network, which found slightly higher rates of child care center use among its respondents.
Our public policies should give mothers the freedom to maximize their options, a freedom fathers often already have due to social norms and the unpaid care work performed by women. Mothers deserve the freedom to work the hours and jobs they want to; to care for the number of hours they want to; and to be able to earn financial security regardless of their choices. While many moms of young children, for whom care is most expensive, will take a break from work for a couple of years, the costs of leaving the workforce compound. Moms who return to the workforce after a few years may return to lower salaries, and have foregone matching retirement contributions and years of work for their Social Security benefits, in addition to their wages. Some moms wish to leave the workforce during these early years. Others don’t wish to leave the workforce, but feel like they have few other options.
21 percent of moms who stay at home with their children full-time said they turned down job opportunities because of the lack of child care.
In fact, according to the Morning Consult survey, 21 percent of moms who stay at home with their children full-time said they turned down job opportunities because of the lack of child care. Of parents who are working, many are also turning down new, often better, jobs due to the lack of child care, including 11 percent of moms and 10 percent of dads. Some research finds the impacts could be even greater. A report by the Federal Reserve found that 2 in 5 unemployed prime-age (ages 25 to 54) moms said the lack of child care was part of why they weren’t working for pay.2
Beyond affecting their decision whether to join the labor force or advance in one’s career, child care challenges can also disrupt the work lives of the parents who continue to work. Interruptions in parents’ workday or workweek from unstable child care can lead to lower earnings, reduced productivity, and can also lead to consequences like being fired or demoted. In the Morning Consult polling, among parents working, nearly 1 in 4 reported leaving work early because of disruptions due to child care. Similarly, 18 percent of working moms and dads said they were either frequently forced to take days off work or work fewer hours from the lack of child care.
Simply put, the lack of child care has tangible effects on families, keeping many parents from engaging in the economy the way they would like to. Insufficient public investment in child care should not be something that is holding back families in the United States from participating in the workforce. And yet, as noted above, the survey shows this is exactly what is happening: among parents with children under age 13, nearly 1 in 3 said they would increase their work hours, and 1 in 4 said they would seek a new job if affordable child care were available. This means that too many families are having their work and career decisions dictated by the lack of child care options. With more child care options available, families could seek more rewarding careers, whether that is a job that is more aligned to their skills and interests or one that is more flexible or pays more. Our lack of child care options in the United States is hampering the workforce, and keeping a quarter of parents from having the freedom to seek out a job that is a better fit for them and their families.
Looking Ahead
Investing in child care is a no-brainer. The United States spends $14,000 lessper child on child care than the average OECD country. And, as this polling demonstrates, for a significant share of the population, the lack of affordable and available child care is keeping parents from advancing in their careers, or even working in the first place. Freedom over how to care for one’s family and how to approach work should not be reserved only for the wealthy. If families had the ability to choose what their work and caregiving responsibilities looked like, without the stress of how to pay for it, we would have a stronger workforce and stronger communities. Mothers and fathers could seek the career pathways that are the most rewarding and aligned with their interests, and support them to meet their family budgets. They could have the time and space to rest and spend time together as a family and community.
Supporting America’s children and families is valuable unto itself. It’s an added bonus that such investments would boost gender equity, support thriving communities, and invigorate our nation’s economy.
Notes
- Parents with children of all ages need child care at different times, but research often disaggregates child care needs and impacts by the age of children because child care is often most critical for children under the age of 6. The findings shared in this report are most often looking at the impacts of child care for families with children under the age of 6, but that does not mean that families with older children don’t need child care.
- The 2024 Federal Reserve report is based on 2023 data, and is slightly different from the 2024 Morning Consult polling, beyond representing different points in time, because they are looking at different sets of people. The 21 percent of moms turning down job opportunities due to child care in the Morning Consult polling looks at full-time stay-at-home parents, whereas the Federal Reserve report is looking at unemployed prime-age moms.
