December 4, 2013

The State of Child Care in Alameda County 

Thanks to our partners at 4C's, BANANAS, Inc., and Child Care Links, we have a new up-to-date portrait of the state of child care in Alameda County.  This information can be found in the just-released 2013 Child Care Portfolio, the 9th in a biennial series of statewide and county-by-county reports documenting licensed child care supply and demand in California. Take a look at what they found: 

More Children, Same Number of Slots

In Alameda County, approximately 54,100 licensed child care spaces are available today to serve an estimated 167,739 children from 0-12 years of age whose parents are in the workforce. For families able to find child care that does meet their needs, all too often high costs limit their ability to access that care.  

More data describing child care in Alameda County from the 2013 Portfolio:  

• Since 2010, the number of children with parents in the labor force has increased by 3% while the number of child care spaces has stayed about the same.  

• Licensed child care slots are available for only 32% of the children 0-12 whose parents are working.  

• The average cost in Alameda County for full-time infant care in a child care center is $13,330 per year.  

• Among the reasons parents are seeking child care, "employment" is the top factor at 82%, followed by "parent in school or training" (11%) and "parent seeking employment" (7%).   

• Requests for care during evening, weekends or overnight were at 11% as compared with 5% in 2010. 

Part of the Bigger Picture

As California's economy continues to recover and parents are entering the workforce in increasing numbers, access to affordable, high quality child care is essential. Working families depend on child care programs which also provide learning experiences critical to their children's development. Yet the 2013 Child Care Portfolio paints a stark reality that there are not enough licensed child care space in California, and in most cases access is limited by cost and availability. Statewide, three out of four children don't have a licensed child care space.  A startling 79% of California's counties show a decline in licensed child care between 2010 and 2012. At a time of hoped-for economic expansion, the supply of licensed care is not recovering to meet the needs of working families.

The 2013 Child Care Portfolio provides ready access to statewide and county-by-county child care figures, a highly readable and useful press release, and easy-to-understand infographics that illustrate the challenges California families face finding - and affording - quality childcare. The data was collected from local child care resource and referral programs and prepared by the California Child Care Resource & Referral Network, a statewide organization. Alameda County's data was gathered from the three child care resource and referral agencies serving Alameda County - 4C's, BANANAS, Inc., and Child Care Links. 

The new report gives us a clearer picture of what's going on in our county, which helps us know how to plan and take action. We continue to be committed to our work of improving access to quality child care for all families. With the proposed 2014-15 California State Budget due out in January, let's find ways we can work together to increase the availability and affordability of quality child care in Alameda County and throughout California.