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Conan Knoll
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Jared Thompson
jared@smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org, (260) 797-2530

Small business leaders highlight the importance of addressing high cost of child care for Main Street businesses

Small business owners and leaders highlight the importance of solving the high cost of childcare for Main Street businesses in a panel discussion about Small Business for America’s Future’s most recent small business survey.

Washington, D.C., October 7, 2021— Small Business for America’s Future Wednesday hosted a briefing with small business owners to discuss how the high cost of child care hurts small businesses and to urge Congress to find a solution.

“This survey makes clear just how much workers are struggling to find and afford child care—and how big an impact that is having on small business owners. When workers have to skip an interview, turn down a promotion, or leave the workforce entirely because they can’t find child care, it doesn’t just make life harder for working families—it’s also hurting our small businesses. They’re facing challenges with scheduling, they’re losing talent, they’re losing business income, and they’re losing growth opportunities. And that’s just unacceptable,” said Sen. Patty Murray, Chair of the Senate HELP Committee. “We’ve got to do better—for working families, for our kids, for our small businesses, and ultimately for our entire economy. So I’m going to fight tooth and nail to ensure the Build Back Better package will ensure every working family can find and afford child care.”

The event included a review of the recent survey data from Small Business for America’s showing that high child care costs are an economic drag on small businesses, impacting their ability to hire and hampering expansion. It also shows strong small business support for a federal solution.

“The data shows the economic problems created by the wide gap between the availability of affordable, high-quality child care, and the need for those services,” said Rhett Buttle, Senior Advisory to Small Business for America’s Future. “This gap makes it harder for Main Street to keep good employees and grow their businesses, so it should be no surprise that federal action on child care has broad support from small business owners.” 

Small Business for America's Future fielded the national survey of 1,060 small business owners in August to understand how child care impacts small businesses and how small business owners feel about a variety of policy solutions.

“Our organization was deeply involved in ensuring businesses had the support they needed early on during the pandemic. As the Delta variant threatens the recovery, it is important that we address the long term needs of our small business community,” said Corrine Hodges, CEO of the Association of Women’s Business Centers, who participated in the panel discussion. “Women business owners are disproportionately impacted by the lack of access to affordable child care, and it has hurt their business growth. The survey results show that child care is not only a social issue, but a business one as well.” 

The survey shows broad support for federal action on child care, including:

• 66% of small business owners surveyed nationally believe the federal government has a role in supporting universal access to affordable, high-quality child care
• 64% support direct, ongoing financial assistance to families for child care services 
• 70% support federal funding dedicated to providing child care services to underserved communities

“Our company works hard to be as flexible as possible for our workers with children, and have seen firsthand how that has helped us build a more stable and effective workforce,” said Carling McManus, CEO of 84 Agency, a small business based in Charleston, West Virginia, who participated in the panel discussion. “Unfortunately, most small businesses have to rely on the resources in their communities, and far too many communities lack an adequate supply of affordable, high-quality child care. We need investment in child care resources from Congress and policymakers for Main Street to stay competitive in the labor market.”

“The lack of affordable, high-quality child care directly impacts our ability to grow and sustain our businesses,” said Tiara Flynn, President & CEO of Sumnu Marketing, and a member of Small Business for America’s Future Small Business Council. “Covid-19 has exacerbated these challenges and small business owners want to see our leaders in Washington find solutions. Small business owners can’t reach their full potential if their ability to operate and to hire and keep good employees is hamstrung by high child care costs.”

The full recording of the event can be viewed here.

To request an interview with Carling McManus, Tiara Flynn, Corinne Hodges, or Rhett Buttle, contact Jared Thompson at (260) 797-2530 or jared@smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org.

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About Small Business for America’s Future
Small Business for America’s Future is a national coalition of small business owners and leaders working to provide small businesses a voice at every level of government. We’re committed to ensuring policymakers prioritize the nation’s 30 million small businesses to create an economy that works for them, their workers and their communities. Visit www.smallbusinessforamericasfuture.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook. #SmallBizAF.