Access to affordable child care is essential for our economic recovery. Local families depend on child care to go to work, attend school, and participate in continuing education and skills training programs.
An August 2020 report by Washington State’s Child Care Collaborative Task Force showed that half a million children in the state are without access to licensed child care. It is imperative that we understand where our local child care shortfalls are, so that we can work together as a community to address them.
A December 2020 report by Workforce Southwest Washington found that 61.3 percent of the businesses and organizations they interviewed indicated the principal challenge to their workforces securing childcare was affordability.
- Cowlitz Community Network Press Release
- 04/28/21: Child care and early learning advocates in Washington state celebrate legislative wins
- 02/05/21: Child care system ‘crippled’ by pandemic, needs ‘influx of resources’ to survive; Cowlitz County better than neighbors
- 01/22/21: State task force report details policies to stabilize and sustain child care industry and increase affordability for Washington families
- 10/25/20: The COVID-19 math doesn’t work for Washington’s child care providers
- 08/25/20: Study reveals depth of child care crisis of affordability, access in Washington state