The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation has been actively making the business case for early child care for years. We provide guidance to employers, promote collaboration between employers and child care providers, identify state trends, and make recommendations to federal lawmakers. Without a thriving child care sector, we cannot have a robust workforce and economy. In convening experts in the child care and business communities and learning about the child care needs of working parents and employers, the U.S. Chamber Foundation recognizes that a lack of access to quality child care exists as a key barrier preventing people from entering and remaining in the workforce.
On The Drumbeat, I’ll speak with experts in both the child care and business communities about a wide range of topics under the child care umbrella. We’ll cover issues like cost, access, and quality, and introduce driving factors like child care market rates, funding mechanisms, and ways the business community is taking an active leadership role in helping to solve our nation’s child care crisis.
For our first episode, I’m thrilled to welcome Mary Janssen, NE regional director of Iowa Child Care & Resource Referral, to chat about child care’s unique economic model, the cost of care, and steps employers and chambers can take to learn more.
Watch the first episode of The Drumbeat: Conversations on Early Childhood Education.
About the authors
Aaron Merchen
Aaron Merchen is executive director of early childhood education policy and programs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation.
