52% of child care providers that left the field say they would have stayed if compensation and benefits were higher. The child care system is only as strong as its workforce and low wages have created an unstable system for Iowa. Check out the new Overview of Compensation Brief, highlighting compensation and benefits needs in Iowa's child care field to support programs across the state.

47% of child care providers are interested in taking additional college courses, and available resources like the T.E.A.C.H. scholarship program can help them achieve that goal. A key strategy to increasing wages for child care workers and stabilizing the workforce is improving access to education. See the Overview of Education Brief to learn more about how education access supports the child care field.

Putting Advocacy on the Map: Using GIS Technology to Inform Advocacy - Child Care Aware of America showcased the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in areas across the United States to illustrate child care data. Two states, West Virginia and Nebraska, have utilized GIS technology to provide a valuable tool in advocacy and policy discussion to meet the demand of families. West Virginia's dashboard illustrates the supply and demand or vacancy data in regions across the state. In Nebraska, a map dashboard displays the geographic relationship between child care centers and public transportation. These unique tools help guide local and state decision-makers by visualizing the challenges and opportunities in their regions for child care, and ultimately help advance initiatives to support children and families.

Why is Child Care so Expensive when Child Care Providers are Paid so Little? Let's do the Math - Parents and families pay high fees for child care, while providers get by on very little pay. Child care ratios and staffing costs, along with the cost of supplies, equipment, insurance, utilities make it difficult for child care business to break-even, ultimately hurting families and children and the communities they serve. Now that the federal child care funding from the pandemic has expired, child care providers find themselves strapped for cash and struggling to keep businesses open. Learn how proper funding can support strong communities in this insightful article.