The Case for Childcare Collaborative

The childcare sector has a broken business model—high costs, underpaid and undervalued workers, and a pronounced lack of available care options in many areas consistently cause issues for families. This issue disproportionately impacts women, people of color, and low-income families. College-educated women appear in the workforce at two times the rate of non-college-educated women. Additionally, every year, $3 billion in annual revenue is lost due to employee absenteeism resulting from childcare breakdowns, and $840 billion of lost economic output. Businesses suffer greatly from mothers who do not have an adequate access to childcare. In 2022, NationSwell launched the Case for Childcare Collaborative in order to tackle this issue.

In 2022, NationSwell launched the Case for Childcare Collaborative, partnering with several key nonprofits to gather insights and research on the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of business and childcare. This first phase resulted in the launch of the Case for Childcare microsite, which demonstrated the benefits of employers supporting workers' childcare needs. In the next phase, the Collaborative is working with businesses and its nonprofit partners to build childcare solutions and disseminate crucial information.

• Start with a clear, shared vision for improving childcare access and affordability. Build a diverse coalition of business, nonprofit, and community leaders.
• Gather, research, and share local data to highlight childcare needs and economic impact.
• Engage employers as champions and partners in solutions.
• Advocate for public-private partnerships and policy change.
• Communicate successes and lessons learned to stakeholders.
• Leverage existing networks to scale and sustain efforts.