How are workers handling child care challenges and rising costs

During a roundtable discussion at CERCLE after the tour, Collins said child care is a significant part of economic infrastructure. A lack of access to safe, affordable, and quality care is a significant barrier for working parents, she said. And employers have told Collins that can show up in lower retention rates, absenteeism, and lost productivity.

David Morgan, the Deputy Commissioner of the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood, said an investment in child care is an investment in both the current and future economy.

He said that several Connecticut business leaders recently told him their workforces have mostly recovered from the economic shock of the COVID-19 pandemic, but employees that needed child care are still struggling.

Kyle Kramer, the CEO of a rural community hospital in Putnam, Connecticut, told Collins that high child-care and housing costs are a major burden on his employees. Collins met with Kramer and other state health care leaders earlier Tuesday at the Connecticut Hospital Association in Wallingford.