No. 78September 24, 2026
Childcare affordability and workforce retention
From free care at a Durham center to a Watauga County pilot, providers are experimenting with ways to support workers; Kentucky has taken a different approach to supporting providers statewide by investing state dollars.
1 development · 1 cited source
The question
When child care workers cannot afford care for their own children, who bears the cost of keeping them in the workforce?
Background
A study from Appalachian State University found that childcare workers earned an average of $30,600 a year, while the median monthly cost of childcare was $900. The source reports that staffing shortages can mean smaller classrooms, shorter hours, and reduced enrollment.
The read
The examples describe free childcare, a childcare assistance initiative, and a statewide approach funded by state dollars. The way childcare benefits are funded varies.
What happens next
How will the Boone Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s childcare assistance initiative help childcare workers pay for the care of their own children?
What could change this read
Whether programs can help workers stay with a center would change this read.
Developments in this issue
Reference paths
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