Breaking Barriers: The Urgent Need for Affordable and Accessible Child Care in the Small Business Community

A recent report from Small Business Majority, a national organization with a network of 85,000 small businesses, sheds light on the challenges faced by working parents and employers when child care is inaccessible or too expensive. Over two-thirds of small business owners are in favor of legislative action to make child care more affordable and accessible for young children.

FFYF Executive Sarah Rittling recently participated in a White House roundtable with Small Business Association and other leaders in the child care and small business communities. She emphasized the importance of addressing child care challenges, noting that when parents struggle to find and afford child care, it impacts families and businesses. Collaboration between lawmakers, the Administration, and various stakeholders is crucial to expanding policies and funding programs that support families in accessing quality child care.

The report highlights several key findings related to the cost of child care. The majority of small business owners believe policymakers should take action to address the cost of child care. They support various policy solutions to make child care more accessible and affordable. FFYF’s polling of small business owners also indicates that a high percentage agree that employees with young children are more likely to stay in the workforce if they have access to affordable, high-quality child care. Furthermore, many believe that their business would benefit from employees having better access to affordable, quality child care.