Nearly 4 in 10 WA parents with kids under 12 have quit, been fired due to disruptions in child care

It’s no secret that childcare is expensive. Now, a new study is showing just how much it’s impacted Washington’s workforce.

The study found nearly 40% of Washington parents reported having quit their jobs or been fired due to childcare disruptions. The report was prepared for Child Care Aware of Washington.

Velvet Greenleaf can relate. Her husband was previously able to work from home and help out with their two kids. Now, he’s back in the office.

She had been working and was hoping to pursue a role full-time, but the idea didn’t make financial sense.

“We wouldn’t have made any money, essentially, if we paid for child care,” Greenleaf said.

Staying home has impacted their finances too.

“It has put us in a position where now we have to be a little more paycheck-to-paycheck,” she said.

The survey found even parents still working lost income as a result of disruptions to child care. More than four in ten reported reducing their work hours, over a third said they’d turned down a new job, and over a third said they’d scaled back to part-time.

“Child care is expensive because it’s just very, very labor intensive,” said University of Washington Professor of Finance & Business Philip Bond.

Bond points to rising wages outpacing the rate of inflation.

“For anyone who’s not having to buy a bunch of labor-intensive services, that’s great news,” he said. “But if you’re in this period of your life where one of your main expenses is having to get child care, then it’s more complicated.”

Subsidies are available for parents to help, but many families seeking help don’t qualify.

“We’re right at that line,” Greenleaf said.

Some political leaders are working to increase funding. United States Senator Patty Murray (WA) secured over $1 billion more for federal childcare programs this year.

“We are privileged people in the sense that, like, it could be a lot worse,” Greenleaf said. “If you were in a position where you suddenly are the single parent, it’s really scary.”