Issues within the childcare industry have been growing in years past. Now, a survey in the Gateway Area Development District aims to assess how many people’s careers are impacted by the childcare crisis.
Joshua Farrow is the Executive Director of the Gateway ADD. He said the data analysis will be used to make a change in the region.
“That’s where the basis of the project is going to concentrate. What is the financial impact if we as a region can develop or augment our existing childcare services to allow more workers to enter the workforce or re-enter the workforce,” said Farrow.
Farrow said the district assumes that a significant number of parents or caregivers are missing out on wages or are without a job entirely because of the inaccessibility of childcare.
Farrow said the survey will use information from the Kentucky State Data Center at the University of Louisville.
“We’re not going to be collecting new data, but we’re going to be looking at, potentially, individuals who are not working due to childcare. So, due to financial constraints, they’ve made the decision to either stay at home or not enter the workforce,” said Farrow.
Farrow said the project will attempt to quantify the total economic impact that is made in the Gateway service region when those parents are left out of the workforce. When the analysis ends in September, Gateway will make recommendations to local governments with the objective of helping people return to work by expanding childcare access.