Why there’s a child care worker shortage
“There’s a shortage of child care workers in the U.S., largely because the pay is so low — and workers can now find higher wages in fast food and retail.
Driving the news: ‘We’re competing with McDonald’s, a half-mile up the street,’ said Meredith Burton, the director of a small child care center in Greenville, South Carolina. It took her all year to fill a part-time position that doesn’t pay quite as well as fast food, she tells Axios.
The shortage is holding back parents, particularly women, from the labor market, where participation is still not back to pre-2020 levels. (A dose of reality to drop into the conversation around Women’s History Month.)”