Makayla Buchanan, M.P.P., Director of Early Learning and Literacy with the Florida Chamber Foundation partnered with Achieve Escambia and the Greater Pensacola Chamber of Commerce to host an Early Learning Employer Roundtable on March 25, 2025. We discussed how childcare issues impact the workforce, the role employers can play in supporting access to affordable, quality early learning, and the barriers businesses face in implementing supportive policies.
What we learned:
- Florida’s population is changing. Older folks are moving to Florida. Future Workforce (ages 9 and under), New Talent (ages 25 – 35), and Top GDP Contributors (ages 50-60) are leaving Florida.
- We have more job openings than job seekers. For every 100 open jobs, 94 Floridians are looking for work. In Escambia County, only 86 unemployed people are seeking work for every 100 open jobs.
- Most parents with young children have to work. In Escambia County, 76% of households with children under the age of six report “all available caregivers are in the workforce”. In other words, less than one quarter of local households with children under the age of six have a parent who stays home/is not employed.
- Childcare is expensive. The median annual cost of childcare in Escambia County is $10,669 (center-based care for an infant). That’s more expensive than full-time, public university tuition in our state.
- Not having enough reliable, high-quality childcare slots is costly for everyone. Each year in Florida, nearly $5.4 billion dollars in economic value is lost due to working parents having to be away from their jobs while caring for children under the age of six. Through the release of the Untapped Potential in FL report, the Florida Chamber Foundation, in partnership with the National Chamber Foundation, is bringing light to the impact Florida’s childcare crisis has on early learning, workforce productivity, and our economy.
- Key findings:
- Childcare issues result in an estimated $5.38 billion loss annually for Florida’s economy.
- Florida misses out on $911 million annually in tax revenue due to the childcare crisis.
- Childcare-related employee turnover and absenteeism costs Florida employers $3.47 billion per year.
- 48% of parents attending school or work training needed to make a significant adjustment to their schedule due to childcare issues in the past year.
- 64% of parents of young children missed work or class at least once in the past three months for childcare-related reasons.
- 15% of parents left a job in the past six months due to childcare issues.
- Employers can help. Family-friendly workplace policies such as offering flexible schedules and remote work, software and other capabilities for employees to quickly and easily trade shifts with each other, TeleHealth and similar healthcare options that don’t require transportation, same-day pay options, and childcare stipends and/or tuition reimbursement for childcare expenses are examples of ways employers can support working parents and retain their employees.
Whether you were able to join us or had to miss this one, check out the key resources and next steps we discussed to continue advancing early learning solutions for working families and businesses in Northwest Florida.
Full Slide Deck available online.
Connect for Kids Webinar: Back-Up Care Solutions for Employees → Hear how UPS and others are providing flexible support for working families.
Employer Guide: Florida’s New Child Care Tax Credit → See how your business could benefit.
School Readiness Policy Research Report → Explore the economic and workforce return on investment of Florida’s tuition assistance program for child care.
To ensure that Florida’s children are set on a path to succeed in every community, the Florida Chamber Foundation created the Florida Business Alliance for Early Learning Project. This Project stands as an ever-growing collective of business and community leaders dedicated to securing the future of our youngest Floridians. The goals of the Alliance are to achieve 100% Kindergarten Readiness and 100% 3rd grade reading proficiency by 2030. State, county, and school level alliance opportunities are available. Connect with the Florida Chamber Foundation to learn more.
Early learning is critically important for school readiness. Ready for school means ready for life. Locally, 50% of our kindergarteners were “ready” (per state assessments) in fall of 2023 which is an improvement from previous years. Learn more about how Achieve Escambia activates the community to improve early childhood outcomes here.