MOUNT VERNON — Knox County faced a child care shortage before COVID-19 hit, but the problem has worsened since the virus arrived.
“There’s a massive child care shortage, but more so in Knox County,” Sam Filkins, vice president of the Area Development Foundation, told Knox Pages. “It’s not a profitable enterprise. There are no markets to start new child care centers.”
According to the ADF, many employers report that the lack of child care options in the county affects the potential for new hires and current employees.
“From the ADF’s perspective, lack of child care is a workforce issue,” Filkins said. “One spouse is staying home with the kids, the other is going to work. Are there people who don’t work and would like to be working but can’t because of child care?”
According to a statewide poll conducted by Groundwork Ohio last fall, the answer is yes.
The poll reports that nearly 60% of moms who are non-working or working part time and have children under age 5 would go back to work or work more hours if they had access to quality affordable child care.
“ADF works to identify obstacles to success in Knox County, and we continue to hear from our local employers that access to child care is a consistent obstacle,” Jeff Gottke, president of the ADF, said in a press release. “Since unemployment is so low, we need to identify new pipelines for the workforce, and those that have to stay at home because they cannot find child care opportunities to meet their needs could serve a vital role in meeting workforce demand.”
Filkins said what is needed is good local data: data as to the need, what is affordable, and whether parents prefer in-home care or a child care center.
“We know that parents need child care. We want to fix it, but we want to tackle the highest priority,” said Julia Greenich-Suggs, administrative specialist with ADF. “But what is that? Is it for parents working second or third shift? Is the need for toddlers and infant care?”
To find answers and better understand the current state of child care, the ADF surveyed employees at the county’s top 25 employers. That survey ended last week with more than 400 employees completing the online survey. Hard-copy results are still being tabulated.
As Filkins pointed out, the responses will not highlight the whole picture because the employees completing the survey are working and presumably have found at least a partial solution to their child care needs.
To get a broader picture, the ADF invites the community to complete the same survey.
“Our solutions will only be as good as the facts we have available, and this survey will help provide a better understanding of the community needs,” Gottke said in the release. “For example, we know the supply of child care institutions in the county, but the need is unknown at this point other than anecdotal evidence.”
To take the survey, click here or visit knoxadf.com. The survey closes on Friday, March 4.
On Monday, Knox Pages will take a brief look at child care in Knox County as it relates to availability, affordability, and safety.
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