Lack of Child Care is "No Longer a Peripheral Issue but a Core Workforce Challenge," New Survey Finds
Survey of more than 300 Virginia businesses found that the lack of affordable, quality child care is disruptive to their workforce.
By Adele Uphaus
MANAGING EDITOR AND CORRESPONDENT
Email Adele
The lack of affordable, quality child care is negatively affecting Virginia businesses’ workforce and bottom line, according to the results of a survey released last week.
More than eight in 10 employers reported that child care challenges make it harder for them to recruit and retain employees, and 85% said these challenges reduce productivity.
The survey was conducted by the Virginia Early Childhood Foundation, in partnership with the Virginia Chamber Foundation and the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond, in August and September of 2025. Three hundred and eight employers representing “every region of Virginia and a mix of industries and business sizes” took part, according to a press release issued last week by VECF.
Eight-eight percent of employers that participated in the survey said employees are late or absent due to child care issues and 65% said these issues have caused workers to cut back their hours.
Employees are also declining job offers or promotions because of child care challenges or leaving the workforce entirely, employers reported.
Sixty-five percent of employers said their employees are having a hard time finding child care programs with availability, and 85% reported that child care costs are a “major burden” for their employees.
And significantly, the survey found that employees in sectors that drive Virginia’s economy—such as hospitality, food service, retail, trade, transportation, and healthcare—are the ones most impacted by child care challenges. That’s because these employees often work nontraditional or shift-based hours when many child care centers are closed.
The survey also asked whether employers offer child care benefits. Fewer than 20% currently do, but “a significant number of employers are interested in offering solutions such as child care referral services, cost-sharing models, employer-sponsored care, and child care vouchers or subsidies,” according to the press release—if cost were not a barrier.
“Survey respondents emphasized the need for increased state investment in child care, stronger incentives to support employer participation, and greater private and local investment to stabilize and grow the child care market,” the press release states.
“This data reinforces what employers have been telling us for years: child care is fundamental economic infrastructure,” said Kathy Glazer, president of VECF, in the press release. “When families cannot access reliable, affordable care, businesses lose talent, productivity suffers, and communities miss out on economic growth. Addressing this challenge isn’t just a family issue—it’s a business imperative and must continue to be a statewide priority.”
Keith Martin, interim president and chief executive officer of the Virginia Chamber, said the findings “make clear that child care is no longer a peripheral issue—it’s a core workforce and economic competitiveness challenge.”
“When employers can’t hire, retain, or fully support their teams because families lack access to reliable, affordable child care, the entire economy feels the strain,” he said. “Virginia must continue working toward solutions that strengthen our talent pipeline and support both businesses and working families.”
Local Obituaries
To view local obituaries or to send a note to family and loved ones, please visit the link that follows.
Support Award-winning, Locally Focused Journalism
The FXBG Advance cuts through the talking points to deliver both incisive and informative news about the issues, people, and organizations that daily affect your life. And we do it in a multi-partisan format that has no equal in this region. Over the past year, our reporting was:
First to break the story of Stafford Board of Supervisors dismissing a citizen library board member for “misconduct,” without informing the citizen or explaining what the person allegedly did wrong.
First to explain falling water levels in the Rappahannock Canal.
First to detail controversial traffic numbers submitted by Stafford staff on the Buc-ee’s project
Our media group also offers the most-extensive election coverage in the region and regular columnists like:
And our newsroom is led by the most-experienced and most-awarded journalists in the region — Adele Uphaus (Managing Editor and multiple VPA award-winner) and Martin Davis (Editor-in-Chief, 2022 Opinion Writer of the Year in Virginia and more than 25 years reporting from around the country and the world).
For just $8 a month, you can help support top-flight journalism that puts people over policies.
Your contributions 100% support our journalists.
Help us as we continue to grow!
This article is published under Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-ND. It can be distributed for noncommercial purposes and must include the following: “Published with permission by FXBG Advance.”
We brought up this issue in 1969, and I have the receipts.