Dubois Strong, in partnership with the organizations that form the Southern Indiana Gateway (SIG) Region, recently conducted a study to solve the childcare crisis and get people back to work. SIG counties include Crawford, Dubois, Knox, Orange, Perry, Pike, and Spencer. Every county included in the region has a higher percentage of children who need care because every adult in the home is also in the workforce. However, childcare programs only have the capacity to service 26% of those children.
The analysis of families in this region found that there are currently 1,700 unemployed parents who would need available childcare seats to increase by over 70% to return to the workforce. Impacts on family economic stability, career plans, and productivity aren’t the only gaps created by the shortages in the childcare system. Without addressing those underlying issues, the continued worker shortage will certainly create challenges for businesses that could lead to more closures across all industries.
Without access to full-time, affordable, quality child care, local leaders say they’re aware that the economic success and well-being of the region are threatened. Lisa Mettler, a project manager with Transform, will present the results of the partnership’s study at Vincennes University Jasper Campus on Friday, April 21st, from 11:30-1 in the CTIM Building.
The full study can be found by following the link provided below. For more information about the Dubois County Child Care Task Force or to RSVP for the April 21st presentation contact Samantha Gray by email to sgray@duboisstrong.com
https://duboisstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/SIG_ChildCareAnalysisWhitePaper.pdf
