How can the business community help its employees—and all workers—solve child care challenges? (Part Two)

Here’s the second part of a Q and A with Child Care Aware® of America’s Executive Director of Respite Care of America (RCoA) Fran Jamison and Senior Vice President of Program Impact Ariel Ford, we continue the conversation from part one regarding key takeaways from the National Child Care Innovation Summit: Business Leaders in Action and their sessions.                    

Q: The sector has frequently talked about emergency preparedness, but there seems to be an increasing conversation and stress on emergency preparedness, response, and recovery. Can you talk about that?

A: Ariel: While emergency preparedness is foundational, recent large-scale emergencies have underscored the critical need for robust response and recovery systems. Hurricanes, wildfires, and the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed significant gaps in recovery support for child care providers, who often face prolonged closures, financial strain, and challenges navigating regulatory
Senior Vice President of Program Impact Ariel Ford      requirements. Unlike the unified public K-12 school system, the United States has a decentralized child care system. Varying state and local approaches to funding and the overall private-business model for child care make it harder for providers to access the resources needed to recover from emergencies. 

Why the shift? Preparedness lays the groundwork for resilience, but emergencies still create immediate and long-term challenges that preparedness alone cannot resolve. The increased focus on response and recovery stems from the urgent need to address barriers that prevent providers from reopening. For example:  

• Recovery hurdles for providers: Many child care providers operate as small businesses, often from their homes, and face significant challenges accessing recovery funds. Resolving insurance claims can take years, and bridging the financial gap between insurance payouts and the actual costs of reopening is often insurmountable without focused support. 

• Licensing and regulation challenges: Licensing standards, while essential for health and safety, need to be a part of all preparation and response planning. For example, after Hurricane Helene impacted Western North Carolina, the Division of Child Development and Early Education collaborated with providers to create emergency reopening plans tailored to their circumstances. These plans were reviewed and approved by local health department staff, allowing providers to reopen. In cases where clean drinking water was unavailable, temporary measures, such as boiling water or using bottled water for drinking and handwashing, ensured safety while operations resumed. 

Why preparedness remains critical: Preparedness reduces risks and strengthens a community’s ability to recover more quickly and work best when paired with coordinated systems that support providers during recovery, such as streamlined access to funding, federal guidance on post-disaster licensing flexibilities, and technical assistance for navigating complex processes.  

When child care is unavailable for extended periods, the impacts ripple through families and communities. Parents, including emergency responders and recovery personnel, cannot return to work, slowing community recovery. For young children, prolonged disruptions to care mean losing consistent routines and trusted relationships with caregivers, which are vital for healthy development and well-being. Recognizing child care as a vital community service is critical for effective recovery efforts. 

Q: Are there resources that Child Care Aware of America offers that child care providers, families, and others can use to protect children pre- and post-crises?  

A: Ariel: Child Care Aware of America offers a variety of resources to support child care providers, families, and systems leaders before, during, and after emergencies. Go to our main emergency preparedness, response, and recovery web page and discover:

• a guide to help CCR&R staff think about their own mental health after an emergency;
• a child care emergency preparedness, response, and recovery partnership toolkit;
• a competencies framework for CCR&R staff and leaders to professionalize and support work in child care emergency preparedness, response and recovery;
• information to help children cope with traumatic events; tools, publications and resources for emergencies;
• and how to request training or assistance for emergency preparedness.  

Q: What are key takeaways from the conference as whole?  

A: Fran: A lot of time was spent talking about the “how”

• How businesses can support their employee’s child care needs
• How businesses can elevate child care providers
• How all the different actors invested in care can band together to become child care champions
• How the military does child care and what makes it seen as the model of the nation 
• How to empower child care leaders to see themselves as powerful and necessary      voices in the business world and for the overall economy.

America’s Executive Director of Respite Care of America
Fran Jamison

A: Ariel: The National Child Care Summit highlighted several critical themes: 

• Resilience requires collaboration: Success stories emphasized the power of partnerships—between child care, public health, emergency management, and business sectors—to create innovative solutions. 
• Community-focused action: Discussions stressed the importance of disaster planning and recovery efforts for all communities, especially underserved communities, ensuring that resources reach providers and families most in need. 
• The mental health imperative: Providers’ mental health is foundational to maintaining care for children during and after crises. Systems must prioritize support for the child care workforce. 
• Policy and investment: Attendees called for increased investments in child care infrastructure, not just to prepare for disasters but to create a more resilient sector overall. 

Q: As we look ahead, what are ways the business community can step in to help advance child care?   

A: Fran: Advocacy-Awareness-Affordability. I think business leaders can help by just putting child care on the map for other influential business leaders. There are still many business leaders out there that aren’t tracking how vital available, accessible, and affordable quality child care is for both their employees and the businesses that they run. Business leaders need to connect with child care leaders and ensure that child care is among the top issues considered when discussing any major business development like company relocation or even remote work vs. hybrid work vs. on-site work.   

A: Ariel: The business community has a significant role to play in strengthening child care systems, particularly in the context of disaster preparedness and resilience: 

• Financial investment: Businesses can provide funding to support infrastructure improvements, such as retrofitting facilities to withstand extreme weather or offering financial relief to providers after disasters. 

• Partnerships: Collaborations between businesses and child care providers can include the creation of emergency contingency plans, such as back-up care services for employees during disasters. 

• Advocacy: The business community can amplify the importance of child care as critical infrastructure, urging policymakers to prioritize funding and resources for the sector. 
• Employee Support: Companies can offer flexible work policies and mental health resources to employees impacted by child care disruptions, directly addressing the ripple effects of crises. 

By stepping up, businesses not only support their workforce but also strengthen community resilience as a whole.