A new survey says increasing access to child care could unlock billions of dollars in economic growth for the state. Dr. Heather Cope, the chief of policy and research at the Louisiana Policy Institute for Children, says increasing access to early childhood education could allow almost 30,000 parents to re-enter the workforce, leading to $3.2 billion in additional earnings.
“With all of that additional workforce, the additional earnings, that goes throughout the economy and that generates a $5.3 billion increase in economic output for the state,” Cope explained.
Cope says there are more than 250,000 children under the age of five in Louisiana; and without adequate access to child care, mothers have no other choice but to stay out of the workforce.
“They are at home managing child care because either they can’t afford care at all, or any care that is available is to them is not enough that they can then enter the workforce entirely,” Cope said.
Cope says the state needs to come up with a way to make childcare more affordable, with child care in Louisiana currently costing up to $12,000 a year per child.
“Looking at the average wage in Louisiana, that can make up a substantial part of any family’s budget,” Cope noted.