Matt Snyder (Photo: Courtesy photo)
It is true that children are our future, and unfortunately the children of our community are being underserved. Here are the facts.
Working parents are nothing new but the impact of lacking childcare has become more pronounced. For more than 60 percent of children under age five in Louisiana, both parents, or their single parent, work. A 2017 survey of working parents in Louisiana found that 16 percent of respondents indicated that they had quit a job due to child care issues. Two out of five working parents missed a day of work over the previous three months; one out of five went from full to part-time, and more than one out of 10 turned down a promotion because of child care issues.
I’m a proud father of five children and a business owner who has seen firsthand the stress that inadequate or irregular access to childcare can place on working families, businesses and the local economy. Our community must make it possible for all parents to provide sufficient early childhood care for their developing children.
This February 11-15 is Early Ed Week in Louisiana, a week-long series of events across the state highlighting the importance of improving access to affordable, high quality early care and education for all Louisiana’s parents. I’m joining with the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, Louisiana Association of United Ways, and United Way of Northwest Louisiana to speak up in support of increased, stable funding and a reliable funding mechanism to help Louisiana’s working families afford early care and education for their children.
Currently, the cost of early care and education in Louisiana is on par with the cost of a college tuition. Many of our young working families simply cannot afford to pay these expenses out-of-pocket, any more than they can afford to stay at home. This dilemma means that many small children are left with grandparents or subpar daycare options that don’t adequately prepare kids to be successful when they get to kindergarten.
Louisiana’s economy needs Louisiana workers, and our working families need access to high quality early care and education. If we are to level the playing field with children so that any boy or girl, regardless of income, can have a chance at success, we have to look at creating the best possible environment for early childhood development for Louisiana’s young children.
Matt Snyder is the owner of PinPoint Local Marketing LLP and PinPoint Events LLC.