"There's a lot of ways in which a lack of child care can affect an economy, so it's important to have vibrant child care in your communities in order to provide parents with those opportunities to work," says Allison Wagner, the economic development director for Minnesota's Houston County.
That's why the county's Economic Development Authority applied for a $42,000 grant from a nonprofit called First Children's Finance, which surveyed 113 families, 18 employers, and nine child care providers in the county and found a 206-slot shortage and a 257-slot shortage in school districts in the county, WCCO reports.
"Not being able to find quality child care can result in employees not taking new jobs or moving to communities," says First Children's Finance business development specialist Candace Cegla.
"Parents will leave the workforce if they cannot find child care," she adds.
"Or they will rearrange their shifts to receive child careleaving parents with little family time and possibly working in fields out of their qualifications."
According to First Children's Finance, 32% of parents who responded to its survey said they pulled out of the workforce or declined employment due to child care issues.
One local employer says employers with families have limited work hours and often need to make Read the Entire Article
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