The child care sector has sacrificed and struggled to serve children and families since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The National Association for the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) latest survey, completed between Nov. 13 to 29 by more than 6,000 early childhood educators working in 289 child care programs, shows that the national crisis facing child care is just as consistent and devastating today as it was back in early 2020.
Survey Findings
- 93% of survey respondents work in programs that, to date, have managed—often at great personal and professional cost—to remain open for the children and families they serve.
- Nearly half of survey respondents reported that they know of multiple centers or homes in their community that have closed permanently. This percentage rests at 42% for those who are minority-owned businesses and rises to 56% for those who describe their community as suburban.
- 56% of child care centers saying they are losing money every day that they remain open, programs are confronting an unsustainable reality, even as they are desperately trying to remain viable for the children and families they serve.
- Read the full survey results here.
NAEYC’s survey results also show how child care programs are taking on debt, spending down savings, and cutting costs while revenues continue to decrease and further Governmental support remains uncertain.
To read the full results of NAEYC’s recent survey, click here.