Why Lack of Child Care is Crippling the Economy

SAN DIEGO, April 7, 2022 (Newswire.com) - This April, TOOTRiS is celebrating the Month of the Young Child; unfortunately, children are at the center of the slow economic recovery. While many aspects of life seem to be getting back to "normal", nearly half of parents polled in a Pew Research study done in February 2022 say they still experience a hard time finding Child Care for their children due to a national Child Care shortage. Among working parents with children under age 6 who rely on Child Care providers, more than 80% say they would have difficulties finding backup Child Care in the event their usual Child Care provider was not an option.

In an effort to help bolster the nation's crippled economy and get parents back in the workforce, TOOTRiS recently expanded its on-demand Child Care platform to all 50 states. With more than 180,000 Child Care providers currently on its platform, TOOTRiS touts the largest network of available, licensed real-time Child Care options in the nation - including full-time, part-time, after-school, and summer camps. 

The expansion provides much-needed resources and tools to thousands of parents, providers and employers at a time when communities across the nation face an alarming Child Care deficit. TOOTRiS also provides free technology to help licensed Child Care providers open their own Child Care business in less than 24 hours. 

"Children are at the core of what we do at TOOTRiS, not only are children essential to our present but our future," said Alessandra Lezama, TOOTRiS CEO and select member of the ReadyNation CEO Task Force on Early Childhood. "By providing a reliable place for them to be cared for while their parents are at work, we are ensuring that they get a fair chance for early childhood education which in turn will prepare them for a successful academic future."

Nationwide, a majority of US families do not have access to affordable and quality Child Care due to cost. For example, according to research from the California Policy Institute, only 7% of California's families can afford the average cost of child care, which amounts to $16,945 a year, or $1,412 a month. Nationwide, in over 30 states Child Care is more expensive than college. Difficulty finding immediate open enrollment, or the lack of programs that can meet their family's needs is another issue plaguing the families in desperate need of reliable care for their children.

TOOTRiS connects parents, providers, and employers in real-time, enabling: 

• Parents to search near their home or work, using filters to find Child Care that fits their needs and budgetary requirements, even for temporary slots and drop-ins - all accessible for free online via a desktop, tablet, or a mobile app. 
• Providers to have access to free tools and resources needed to grow their programs and boost enrollments while automating administrative functions such as payments.
• Employers - big and small - to have affordable and seamless solutions to offer Child Care as a Benefit, which is critical for attracting and retaining talent at a time when there are 9.2 million unfilled jobs across the US. 

TOOTRiS was founded in 2019 to transform Child Care so that every working parent — especially women — has the same opportunity for advancement by having access to affordable, high-quality Child Care; and so that every child, regardless of household income, has the same opportunity to early childhood education that can ensure kindergarten readiness and academic success.

Media Contact:
Jeff McAdam
Creative Director - Press and Media
720-988-0984
[email protected]

Source: TOOTRiS