Married to the Job No More

Issue 8.15

April 15, 2022

This Week in Dover

This week was a busy week for the General Assembly and the last before they go on Easter Break for two weeks. A number of bills are worth mentioning:

HB262: The Data Brokers and Consumer Protection Act - released from House Appropriations
HB371 removes all penalties for possession of one ounce or less of marijuana, except for those who are under 21 years of age - released from House Health and Human Development
HB372, or the Delaware Marijuana Control Act, regulates and taxes marijuana in the same manner as alcohol - released from House Revenue and Finance

Read the full recap >

President's Message

Let me share some data with you:

More than 2.3 million women have left the labor force in the United States since February 2020
This has put the women’s workforce participation rate at 57 percent—the lowest it’s been since 1988
Families in Delaware pay an average of $20,000 in child care per child per year
There is a maximum licensed capacity of 35,481 across the Delaware child care industry but a total of 54,261 children under the age of five

So the question is, “What do we do?” Read more >

CHILD CARE IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS

WHY DELAWARE BUSINESSES SHOULD CARE

ABOUT EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION

Research shows that investing in high-quality early care and education (ECE) can lead to higher economic returns for a region, particularly for low-income families. ECE is vital to strengthening the competitiveness of Delaware’s economy and can act as a two-generational workforce development strategy. As the sector faces profound challenges, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, a new report—released by the Philadelphia Fed, Delaware State Chamber, Rodel, & Office of Early Learning—examines ways to increase access for working families. View the toolkit >

"Having businesses really understand what we do is not babysit: We are educating, we are taking care of these families, their employees’ children while we’re here. I think that would be the biggest thing—and them advocating for us as much as they want us to advocate for them." – Provider in Kent & Sussex counties

And that’s why we’re seeing, in my mind, a huge opportunity in child care, because you just don’t have the child care teachers that you need to support the workforce we have. [We need] availability, accessibility, and affordability." – Sussex County business leader

"There does seem to be this kind of black hole between getting

state assistance and then when your wage goes up to a certain extent, and you can no longer get that assistance—but you still can’t afford all the things that the assistance was allowing you to do or get with the increase in wages." – Sussex County business leader

WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING:

BEN GRAY

EOS Hospitality

“Nearly every day, across the portfolio, we are losing 10 to 20 percent of our staff due to child care issues,” which equates to roughly 10–15 staff members. Because of the loss of staff, Ben's hotels have had to reduce the number of services they are able to provide, impacting revenue.

ANDRIA KEATING

Babes on the Square Too

“We’re just recycling

people, and I think that’s the biggest problem with this workforce. There

isn’t a workforce. There

is no workforce for early care and education.

The people that are in

the field right now—

that’s all there is.

There’s nobody new."

CINNAMON ELLIOTT

Dover Federal Credit Union

“The conversation that

my husband and I are

having is, you may have

to stay home because

we cannot find suitable childcare. We’re on

five different waiting

lists with a time frame

of about one year

for availability.”

WHAT CAN DELAWARE DO?

OPPORTUNITIES IDENTIFIED IN THE REPORT

Financial investments to support the stability of local child care programs
Shared space and service models to foster collaboration across sectors
Tax incentives to create opportunities for businesses of all sizes
Effective transportation options to increase access to care

View the toolkit

Join us on 5/3 for a webinar

MARRIED TO THE JOB NO MORE

CRAVING FLEXIBILITY, PARENTS ARE QUITTING TO GET IT

By McKinsey & Company

It’s abundantly clear that organizations have to move quickly if they want to retain working parents and others with caregiving responsibilities. Addressing their needs for increased flexibility is the first place to start. But how?

Here are three areas where organizations can be more bold and creative in their thinking about how to retain parents:

1 Embrace radical flexibility

2 Get more creative with child care support

3 Let them go—and make a concerted effort to get them back