By: Cheryl Splain Access article
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.