Wendy Doyle, President & CEO of United WE
Childcare has recently been a noteworthy topic for elected officials across the country, but it has been a longstanding focus for United WE. In 2021 and 2022, we conducted Town Halls across Kansas and Missouri. We heard from hundreds of women that finding affordable childcare was a challenge. We know that it continues to be a significant issue facing most states across the country. We also know that when families experience barriers to childcare, women are likely to drop out of the workforce, which hinders their ability to advance economically.
To address issues specific to childcare, we created Focus Groups of childcare providers. In these focus groups we learned from providers that the amount of paperwork is burdensome and can take hours of dedicated staff time. These focus groups made us realize that we needed to look into licensing regulations to better understand the barriers impacting the availability and viability of opening a childcare business, and led us to our research in this area through our Policy Lab.
Policy Lab
Our Policy Lab is an initiative born from a powerful vision for change across Oklahoma, Missouri, Kansas, and Arkansas. The Lab provides actionable research, innovative solutions, and meaningful results to drive systemic progress for women throughout these states and beyond. By setting a template for nationwide change, we are paving the way toward a brighter economic and civic future for all women.
As part of the Policy Lab, we released our Oklahoma and Missouri childcare licensing studies earlier this month. We are releasing the Kansas research on December 12 (register here) and we anticipate Arkansas in 2025.
Oklahoma Childcare Licensing Research
United WE commissioned researchers from the College of Education and Human Sciences and the Spears School of Business at Oklahoma State University to explore barriers to childcare access in Oklahoma.
The report findings illustrate significant strengths and opportunities for growth in the delivery of quality childcare experiences for Oklahoma’s children, including:
A pressing need for additional childcare capacity in almost all counties, as the number of available slots does not meet the demand.
State licensing requirements and low wages create barriers for new providers and staff shortages.
Missouri Childcare Licensing Research
United WE commissioned research with the Institute of Public Policy at the University of Missouri about the childcare licensing process and challenges that may interfere with adequate access to childcare and potential solutions to improve the situation.
The report findings show:
Childcare provider licensing can be time-consuming, costly and the required regulatory processes are hampered by facilities’ staffing shortages and turnover.
There are nearly three times as many Missouri children, aged six or under, than childcare slots.
Policy and practice recommendations, including community, administrative and legislative.
National Childcare Licensing Research
Additionally, our Women’s Entrepreneur Childcare Project helps address the childcare crisis for women entrepreneurs on both sides of the childcare equation– entrepreneurial childcare providers and entrepreneurial mothers.
As part of the project, United WE commissioned a high-level review of state-level licensing regulations and certain aspects of their implementation in the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
The study lifted up best practices across four aspects:
Content of licensing regulations
Licensing fees
Availability of information on the licensing process
Frequency of license renewal and inspections
You can read the full report and review state profiles that examine how a state is doing against those best practices here.
How You Can Help
Our research aims to drive policy changes that will remove barriers to benefit women and families so women can meet their full economic potential. We look forward to sharing additional releases with you in the coming months.
If you would like to help with this initiative and others, please consider a donation to United WE.