The ongoing child care crisis has kept many parents – particularly mothers with young children – out of the workforce, hampering Ohio’s business and economic recovery. A new poll of Ohio voters and parents with children under the age of 5 finds that access to quality, affordable child care is key to getting Ohioans back to work.
The poll – commissioned by Groundwork Ohio and conducted by Public Opinion Strategies – also shows that parents with children under the age of 5 care deeply about early childhood education and are willing to voice their support at the voting booth and to their elected officials.
According to our survey, nearly 60% of non-working or part-time working moms with children under the age of 5 in Ohio said they would go back to work or work more hours if they had access to quality child care for their children at a reasonable cost.
More than 4 in 10 working parents with children under the age of 5 said they have had to cut back on hours to care for their children in the last few months. Meanwhile, more than 1 in 3 working parents with children under the age of 5 said child care challenges have disrupted their work in recent months, causing them to either miss work, leave early, or lose focus.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Parents, especially moms, are telling us they need quality, affordable child care to return to work. If policymakers want to solve Ohio’s workforce crisis now and in the future, they must listen to the experts – parents!
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