Parents in Ohio work challenging, sometimes working multiple jobs, but most still cannot afford child care, if any exists in their area.
A novel report from child welfare organization Groundwork Ohio shows there is a shortage of child care and parents struggle even when they can get it because the cost can be prohibitive.
The Family Voices Project report surveyed 755 parents and guardians between April and May of this year, all of whom had at least one child under the age of six. The 755 parents and guardians represented 932 children in Ohio.
The demographics in the study included 75% women, with the majority of families surveyed (66%) identifying as white. In terms of family structure, 75% of those surveyed were two-parent households, and the highest poverty level (43%) was below 200% of the federal poverty line.
The parent survey focused on the following policy pillars: early childhood education and care, access to and quality of health care, prevention of early childhood trauma, and economic stability.
The study found that childcare subsidies “provide a crucial support for working families, but access to them is limited.”
One in three Ohioans surveyed admitted to having “difficulty finding child care,” and nearly 60% said their current child care situation was unaffordable.
“More than half of respondents whose children did not attend nurseries cited the cost of care as the reason,” the study found.
Although almost the same number of people said they were dependent on the state Publicly funded childcare 40% of people applying for support could not find a facility that would accept them.
The study also found problems with the PFCC program, even for those who had already applied and were deemed eligible. A quarter of survey participants who receive child care subsidies “reported that their subsidy was not affordable.”
That’s when you can count on subsidies: 24% of respondents who applied for the program said it took them more than three months from the time they applied to receive PFCC funds.
Many people in the study had to change their work schedules or reduce their hours because of difficulties finding childcare.
While almost all parents said they had support from partners, friends or parents, one in three parents struggled with “high levels of stress” and 65% said they “could benefit from additional resources and support with parenting.”
Public assistance programs were part of the parenting process for people in the study—27% were enrolled in Medicaid, 16% were enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and 13% were enrolled in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
The largest group of study participants (26%) came from central Ohio, followed by northeastern Ohio (20%), Appalachia (18%), southwestern Ohio (15%), and northwestern Ohio (8%).
Although most of the survey participants were two-parent households, single-parent households were also represented. These individuals reported working more than one job to make ends meet, 10% more than two-parent households.
Working multiple jobs and struggling to find (and keep) childcare is having a negative impact on a child’s health, a study has found.
Children from households with incomes between 200% and 400% of the federal poverty line are “least likely to have a regular source” of health care, according to the study, and children are sometimes unable to get to check-ups even if they have regular care, due to a parent’s work schedule or the cost of care.
“Higher-income parents (above 400% FPL) had fewer access issues, but 15% reported being unable to get timely care for a sick child, and 18% reported difficulty accessing a specialist in a timely manner,” the study found.
The Legislature appears to have taken notice, as advocates have raised alarms about a “crisis” in child care costs, availability and workforce. Several bills, many sponsored by GOP lawmakers, have been referred to committees this week in the General Assembly. While the bills won’t see further action until November because lawmakers are on summer break, the Republican-led bills will have an easier time in the GOP supermajority Legislature.
