In this podcast, Jacob Stewart, director of state government relations at the Early Care and Education Consortium, describes what individual states are doing to combat staffing shortages in child care.

Massachusetts, for example, launched a general, statewide workforce bonus for which child care providers are eligible to receive $4,000 per new employee hired and retained for 60 days. 

Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Ohio and Pennsylvania have offered multiple bonuses ranging between $300 and $1,200 per worker.

Other states are offering wage enhancements, internship programs, a refundable tax credit,  financial support to obtain credentials that are state required as well as enabling employees to leverage their experience to move up career ladders and more!

These findings are part of a data-packed report his organization recently put out titled "The Child Care Workforce Shortage: Solutions from Around the Country."

 As of February 2022, two-thirds of providers reported a staffing shortage that affected their ability to serve families; of those, 52% were forced to serve fewer children while 37% had a longer waiting list, according to the report.

Read the full report here! 

Listen as Jacob delves into the findings of this report  ... and he describes negotiations that are happening for legislation that could help the child care industry despite the demise of the Build Back Better plan.