A new analysis from the Common Sense Institute (CSI) and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation paints a stark picture of the growing childcare crisis in Arizona and the mounting economic costs tied to it.
The report finds that the state’s shrinking supply of licensed childcare providers is forcing families to make difficult tradeoffs, reducing workforce participation, and limiting Arizona’s long-term economic growth.
Despite Arizona’s rapid population growth over the last 20 years, the number of licensed childcare providers has nearly been cut in half, dropping from more than 5,100 providers in 2002 to just under 2,800 today. That contraction has collided with higher labor and operating costs, making quality childcare increasingly hard to find and afford.
A business community leader says the findings confirm what employers have been…
