Florida TaxWatch report shows getting child care increasingly challenging for working parents

Stock image via Adobe.

There are about 1.28 million children under the age of 6 in Florida, and it’s getting costly for parents to get child care when needed, according to a new analysis from Florida TaxWatch.

The watchdog group has published a new report, How Childcare Costs Impact Florida’s Economy. The analysis concludes that child care is taking its toll on the workforce. The report found that the Sunshine State economy loses about $1.5 billion per year due to absenteeism by employees who can’t work due to demands of caring for children.

Some 69.1% of all children under the age of 6, about 883,000, have two parents in the workforce sharing child-rearing duties. Another 22.3% of kids of that age, about 285,000, are being raised by only one parent in the workforce. The remaining 109,000 kids of that age, 8.6%, have no parents participating in the workforce.

The latest TaxWatch analysis compared numbers to a similar report the organization released in 2022 called How Childcare Impacts the State’s Economy and Shapes Florida’s Workforce, and child care is increasingly taking a chunk out of the state economy.

“Florida TaxWatch’s briefing from July 2022 to today’s update shows an increase of $1.8 billion in economic losses due to employee absenteeism and $4.2 billion (increase) in income loss, both of which may be attributed to a lack of available and affordable childcare,” said Dominic Calabro, President and CEO of TaxWatch.

“Access to quality childcare is so very important for several reasons; it has proven direct development benefits for the children; it boosts workforce participation from the parents; it increases productivity in the workplace; it reduces turnover and absenteeism; and it reduces economic inequality.”

The latest TaxWatch report concluded that employers need to beef up child care commitments for their workers.

“Losses incurred from turnover and absenteeism of working parents can be avoided with friendlier workplace policies and higher investment in affordable childcare. As an important part of the industry, treating childcare workers better financially can help maintain the workforce in childcare and add to the economy of Florida,” the report stated.

TaxWatch analysts pointed out that the child care field is lagging in pay of its own workers. That in itself provides faltering child care opportunities.

“As of 2024, the average hourly wage of childcare workers is $16.64 while that of all other occupations is $30.29. Research has shown the benefits of raising wages of childcare workers commensurate with the average wages of other occupations,” the report stated.

“Providing resources for childcare workers to access more training in the field, courses for them to improve their skills, and certifications for childcare workers to show their prowess are some ways that can help increase motivation for working in childcare.”