Page 10 - HC Trends Report 2021

CHILDCARE ACCESS AND A
VAILABILITY
An estimated 6% of the state’s labor force relies on some form of child care arrangement to remain in the workforce. Despite this reliance on child care, licensed child care capacity in Lewis and Clark County meets only 45% of estimated demand, which is slightly below the statewide average of 47%.
Infant care, for children under the age of two, is the most significantly undersupplied form of care. Infant capacity in Lewis and Clark County meets 34% of estimated demand, which is on par with the statewide average.
The state’s child care shortage has significant workforce impacts in Montana, with 62% of parents reporting they missed work in 2019 due to a lack of child care. The global pandemic exacerbated the already-existing child care shortage. In April 2020, 43% of licensed child care providers closed as an immediate response to the pandemic. Since then, many child care providers have found new and innovative ways to open while also adhering to important public health guidelines. However, parents of school-aged children have also needed to adjust work schedules and find alternative care due to limited after-school activities and the need to monitor children learning at home. In September, the number of parents reporting reduced work hours increased by nearly 60%. While this reduction in hours was temporary for many parents, about 20% of all parents continued to work reduced hours through the rest of the year – translating to an average of 55,000 parents, or roughly 10% of the labor force.
Annual expenses for families paying for child care averages $7,900. Infant care is the most expen- sive form of care, with increased staff-to-child ratios primarily driving the costs. The average cost of full-time daycare for an infant in center-based care is $12,750 per year in Montana.
Sources: Department of Labor and Industry; “Lost Possibilities” University of Montana BBER, September 2020; Montana Department of Health and Human Services, child care licensing database; 25 Current Population Survey, December 2020 IPUMS; Montana’s Early Childhood Sys- tem: A Comprehensive Needs Assessment September 2019 MT DPHHS, Early Childhood Services Bureau; “Lost Possibilities” University of Montana BBER, September 2020.
10 2021 Trends Report