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A collaborative partnership involving the Alabama Partnership for Children, the Alabama School Readiness Alliance, and VOICES for Alabama’s Children unveiled the Alabama Child Care Roadmap Tuesday, a strategic plan of recommendations for addressing six core areas of the intensifying challenges facing child care providers, families, children and employers and the overall child care shortage in Alabama.
“The gap in child care coverage for children under age 6 is at 40 percent, which is higher than the national average,” said Rhonda Mann, Executive Director for VOICES for Alabama’s Children, producer of the Alabama Kids Count Data Book. “The translation is that when parents don’t have access to reliable, quality child care they can’t work. When employees can’t work, employers, businesses and the economy suffer the negative impact.”
The Roadmap notes that in the first six months of last year, on average, parents missed 46 hours of work due to child care problems, including lack of reliable child care, demonstrating the problem’s pervasiveness.
“Child care is a business market reality and must be transformed in Alabama to meet the varying needs of all it serves – children, families, providers and businesses,” said Gail Piggott, a Senior Advisor for Alabama Partnership for Children. “While the changes will take time, this is a pivotal opportunity for the state to respond to the child care needs of working families that can also have a transformational impact on the workforce participation rate and ultimately the state’s economy.”
“We must continue the focus on quality child care, too,” said Bob Powers, Board President for Alabama School Readiness Alliance. “The first five years of a child’s life is when 90% of brain development occurs, setting the foundation for all future learning. Our best investments in high-quality child care and early education opportunities are the best investments in improved outcomes in our educational system and workforce development efforts.”
The Roadmap was informed by feedback from 13 listening sessions with child care providers and parents across the state. Surveys of more than 330 parents and 250 providers and discussions with state agencies and advocates also helped form the Roadmap’s framework. The partnership receives major support from the Alliance for Early Success which produced a similar nationwide report in 2020 and inspired the Alabama Child Care Roadmap. Additional funding for this work came from the Alabama Civil Justice Foundation, the Daniel Foundation, The Mike & Gillian Goodrich Foundation, the Women’s Foundation of Alabama.
A diverse group of 32 high-level leaders representing different businesses created the Alabama Child Care Workgroup. The Workgroup conducted five work sessions from March through June last year.
The Child Care Workgroup identified six core areas, including long- and short-term recommendations for each area. The six areas include:
- child care business model
- child care workforce
- child care affordability and accessibility
- high-quality child development
- partnerships with employers
- effectiveness of investments
Download a copy of the Alabama Child Care Roadmap and learn more about the research and recommendations by visiting alavoices.org.
