{"id":4238,"date":"2024-01-30T16:16:59","date_gmt":"2024-01-30T16:16:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/about\/?p=4238"},"modified":"2024-01-30T16:16:59","modified_gmt":"2024-01-30T16:16:59","slug":"the-year-of-the-parent-and-the-future-of-childcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.care.com\/about\/the-year-of-the-parent-and-the-future-of-childcare\/","title":{"rendered":"The year of the parent and the future of childcare"},"content":{"rendered":"

Earlier this month, we unveiled Care.com’s 2024 Cost of Care Report<\/a>, our 11th year documenting the cost of childcare and its impact on American families. When I sat down to write this post about the findings, I began with the thesis you might expect: The numbers are staggering and something must change. That is absolutely true – more on that to come – but another truth crystallized for me as well: As we roll into this presidential election year, there is more momentum and power to force real change to our care system than ever before. Hear me out on this: we are witnessing a unique convergence of economic, political, and societal issues that have made our childcare crisis a leading story in our national discourse.<\/p>

First there was the rise and spread of childcare deserts, then the severely reduced care options during the pandemic, and now families are facing the realities of the child care cliff<\/a>, including more daycare closures and extended waitlists. Each of these events has been an inflection point and together, they demonstrate once and for all that care can either be an economic lever for America or a major threat. Collectively, we have the power to make it the former. And what we all do over the next several months, on election day, and beyond is the key. So how and where do we start?<\/p>

The state of childcare in 2024<\/strong><\/h2>

The cost of childcare<\/strong><\/h3>

First, we must understand the reality of childcare in America today. The 2,000 respondents to our survey told us the following:<\/p>