The COVID-19 public health crisis has underscored the essential nature of childcare for working parents, the larger workforce, and the economy.
Parents are making permanent career decisions based on temporary childcare solutions.
In August, the Foundation surveyed working parents again to better understand if and how their childcare challenges may have evolved as the impact of COVID-19 has endured.
Key Findings:
- 63% of parents anticipate needing to change their childcare arrangement in the next year, up from 60% in the June survey
- 33% of parents are using family members or friends for childcare, compared to 28% in June and 29% pre-COVID
- 26% of parents are paying for a childcare arrangement they are not currently using
- 61% of parents have returned to work, 26% are likely to return, and 13% are unsure or unlikely to return
- 50% of parents who have not yet returned to work cite childcare as a reason they have not returned
- Among parents who have not yet returned to work, 30% will be unable to return to work if their school district adopts an online learning model
*This is the second of two surveys conducted to examine the impact of COVID-19 on working parents.
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