Women's Business Centers are Supporting the Expansion of Childcare in California
“The U.S. currently ranks 35th out of 37major economies in public investment in young children, as the president has pointed out, and most advanced countries spend an average of $14,000per year for a toddler’s child care, compared with roughly $500 in theUnited States. It’s often left up to the women of the child care workforce, advocates say, to bear the brunt of that inequity.” Karen DeSouza, in EdSourceNewsletter, Feb. 22, 2022.
WBCs are addressing this inequity by offering business assistance and capital to childcare providers, most of whom are women of color and lower-income. In the past 12 months, five WBCs reported that their clients created 2700 childcare slots in their communities. With more resources, WBCs could double this impact, putting more women back into the workforce, sustaining stronger childcare programs, and benefiting thousands of children with stable early childhood education.
