WCBE News

Businesses Say Lack Of Childcare Is Slowing Reopening

WCBE 90.5FM | By Ohio Public Radio

Published June 30, 2020 at 6:16 PM EDT

A new report from a group of business leaders shows many Ohio companies cannot get back on their feet because their employees no longer have affordable day care options. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.

The CEO of the Lima/Allen County Chamber of Commerce, Jed Metzger, says businesses there are telling him they can’t rebound from the pandemic because too many of their employees lost their childcare.

“We used to have daycares that could serve 90 people and now there’s 45. There’s a waiting list of up to a year to even get in.”

The new report by ReadyNation shows $57 billion in lost earnings nationally in productivity and revenue because of the lack of day care. To solve the problem, business leaders want Congress and the state to help Ohio recover funds for child care that have been lost during the pandemic.

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