Mirza

Childcare 👏 is 👏 healthcare 👏

"Bringing public, private, and provider sectors all together in one space is the only way to really make progress." - Mel Faxon, COO and Co-Founder, Mirza. The historic National Child Care Innovation Summit, hosted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Commerce, united government and business leaders to underscore how critical childcare is to keeping parents in the workforce and driving economic growth in our communities. Watch more: https://lnkd.in/e2nUZ-FH

In case you missed last night's first presidential debate and the candidates' answers to the our broken care system, this pretty much sums it up: a whole lot of bickering and not a lot of real solutions proposed. Despite this disappointing but unsurprising result, having the child care crisis being addressed on this level is a huge testament to all the work that has been done and the people who have mobilized to get this issue talked about on the national stage. A huge congratulations to Moms First and their petition to get this question asked, and to every single mom, dad, parent, caregiver and advocate who have been fighting for this. This is only the beginning and we are standing right next to you.

Small businesses are struggling to hire and retain employees due to a lack of affordable and accessible child care. In a recent survey from Goldman Sachs, a majority of small business owners report that there are insufficient affordable child care programs in their communities: - 84% believe it has been difficult for working parents to afford high-quality child care programs for their children - More than a third (35%) say their employees have been forced to cut their work hours or forgo work entirely because of the cost and/or availability of child care. While there are some existing tax credits for businesses that provide child care benefits to their employees, most small businesses don't benefit and more government support is needed. Small business owners want candidates to discuss this issue during this election year, about 55% of those surveyed by Goldman Sachs said it has not been sufficiently addressed on the campaign trail. Clearly, child care is not just a family issue, it's a workforce issue that affects all employers and companies of all sizes. It's time we gave it the spotlight this crisis so desperately needs. https://lnkd.in/dJtF2bNv

Summer's here! While some of us are dreaming of beach days and BBQs, parents and caregivers are gearing up for the ultimate challenge: the dreaded "summer care gap." Let's talk about why summer is the most stressful season for many parents.

The rising cost of child care in New York City is driving families with young kids to pack up and leave the city, many in favor of states like Florida or New Jersey. Families with kids under six are leaving at twice the rate of others. While lower-income and Black and hispanic households have been disproportionately affected. https://lnkd.in/eXxXxdd5

The child care crisis is reaching new heights; the cost of care is outpacing inflation and average rent prices across the nation, making it hard for working families to keep up. Meanwhile, providers are struggling to make ends meet. It's clearer than ever this system is in need of serious federal investment. With the presidential elections coming on later this year, everything hangs in the balance. https://lnkd.in/eGe5UKvV

What's better than being a dad? How about being a dad in Sweden? 🇸🇪 It's Father's Day this weekend and there's one or two things we can learn from Sweden and how they support new fathers. Not only has it been 50 years since Sweden introduced state-funded parental leave, but there's a social expectation of dads taking leave too. 💡 Fathers in Sweden take the highest proportion of state-subsidised leave in the EU, according to recent OECD data. 💡 Only 18% of fathers who had children born in 2017 hadn't used any of their parental leave allowance https://lnkd.in/enWwNGdx

"74% of low-income mothers cite financial insecurity as their primary stressor. With concerns surrounding adequate pay amid inflation and sky-high daycare costs, working mothers continually seek accommodating positions that offer higher pay or work-from-home capabilities." "Roughly one-third of employed low-income mothers have switched jobs in the past year, and more than half of low-income mothers (58%) struggle to access affordable and reliable child care." Parents, especially moms, are bearing the brunt of the child care crisis. This isn't a family issue, this is a business issue. Employers need to be providing child care support for their working parents if they want to retain and attract workers. https://lnkd.in/eWX6j2gi

The restaurant industry is known for its long hours and unconventional schedules, making child care a major hurdle for many workers who are also parents. While some organizations have made strides to provide child care for restaurant staff, easy child care solutions are far from the norm for restaurant workers. Here’s the stats: 💡 The 3.5 million parents working in America’s restaurant industry, roughly 1 million are single mothers 💡 They spend 35% of their wages on child care, more than 40% live below the poverty line 💡 A third say they are unable to get the most desirable shifts due to child care obstacles It’s clear that workers in the restaurant industry are in dire need of better child care support. Employers, it's time to step up because child care is not a question of "doing the right thing." It’s an investment in employees that pays dividends. 💯 https://lnkd.in/ePuBZvRj