By Susan Tebben
Child care has been brought up more and more with the pandemic causing shortages in services and employment losses preventing families from being able to afford it.
Child care and early childhood education in the state and country is more and more vital, according to a new study by Groundwork Ohio.
The public policy research group commissioned the study to survey 800 registered voters and 400 parents with children under the age of five between Oct. 23 and Nov. 8 of this year.
In terms of demographics, 84% of those polled were white, 10% were African Americans, 15% people of color and 5% Hispanic. Democrats represented 36% of those polled, 33% were identified as Republican and 31% as Independent. The majority (55%) of parents and voters were women.
Suburban individuals made up 53% of the study subjects, with 29% living in cities and the other 18% in small towns or rural areas.
The study showed more than four in 10 working parents have had to cut back hours to take care of children, and a majority of parents without full-time work could go back to work if they had affordable child care.
“Parents make a direct connection between child care and the ability to work/make money,” Groundwork noted in its findings.