The data collected from a February 2023 4C for Children survey of local child care program administrators shows little change in the local child care landscape from similar data collected by 4C in 2021. Classrooms are still shuttered and a staffing shortage continues. These outages are resulting in more than 4,000 infant, toddler, preschool and school-age children in Southwest Ohio and the Miami Valley combined who can’t access quality early learning.
Sent to 791 child care programs across the two regions, the survey had 292 respondents. Among the data collected gives a snapshot of:
- current staffing levels for infant and toddler, preschool, and school-age children
- the number of teachers needed for shuttered classrooms
- the number of children affected by the teacher shortage.
Vanessa Freytag, president and CEO of 4C for Children, says these results illustrate the often immense challenges child care programs, working families and most especially children are facing today. “It may feel like business as usual for many of us, but the data shows something different for our youngest children.
“Without the availability of these classrooms and teachers, children can’t learn and parents can’t work,” Freytag says. “That means employers are less productive and less profitable. The boardroom needs to take notice of what’s happening in the classroom.”
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