COLUMBUS, Ind. — Bartholomew County faces a lack of capacity in known and regulated early learning and childcare programs to support children in need of care, mirroring a state and national trend.
That’s according to information provided by the Community Education Coalition, which concludes that there is only enough capacity in regulated centers to support 56 percent of children who are infants through age 5 needing care.
This statistic becomes a workforce issue as absenteeism and turnover when working parents must stay home or leave their jobs when there aren’t enough licensed centers to help care for children, said Kathy Oren, executive director of the coalition.
The analysis from the coalition was shared with members of the Columbus Area Economic Development Corp. during a recent meeting.
Indiana loses nearly $1.1 billion annually due to child care-related absenteeism and turnover, according to a report published in June by the Indiana University Public Policy Institute.
The report prepared for Early Learning Indiana, “Lost Opportunities: The Impact of Inadequate Child Care on Indiana’s Workforce & Economy,” found that child care disruptions cost the state an additional $118.8 million in tax revenue every year.
Read more in Friday’s print edition of The Republic.
