Ohioans struggling to return to work due to issues finding childcare

A lot of Ohioans are struggling to find childcare right now, and many of them say that’s the reason they can’t get back to work.

Recently, Columbus based non-profit group Groundwork Ohio commissioned a statewide childcare poll.

The poll surveyed 800 registered voters in the state, and more than half of the respondents were women.

It showed 60 percent of non-working or part time working moms say they would go back to work if their child had access to quality childcare at a reasonable cost. 17 percent said having childcare would not get them back to work, and 23 percent did not have an opinion.

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“We were really glad to put numbers to the anecdotal stories we kept hearing from families,” said Lynanne Gutierrez, Assistant Director of Groundwork Ohio.

Those same stories being heard at the Hope Center for Families—a childcare provider in Dayton.

According to Vanessa Ward, President of the Omega Community Development Corporation, some are making the decision to just stay home because it’s easier than having to deal with issues related to COVID.

“Often the childcare is having to close...If there’s been exposure to COVID. There’s a lot of circumstances that are really difficult for parents to navigate as well as the centers,” Ward said.

Ward told News Center 7 that since opening in November they’ve already seen an uptick in calls for help.

“There are families that are experiencing eviction notices,” Ward said.

The hope Center works with families to provide affordable childcare options among other resources—but in many ways they’re still getting the word out.

“I’m not sure that everybody knows that this is a place to come,” Ward said.

The Hope Center for Families says that if families are looking for childcare through their center they can call and stop by and immediately have their application processed, so it is a quick process if you’re looking for childcare there.

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