Within the United States, education is commonly regarded as an equalizer to opportunity and upward mobility. In reality, there are countless impediments in the system that exclude low-income children from reaping the full benefits of education long before they enter the classroom.
As an organization, ICS focuses on the systems that support young children and their families to help them thrive, spanning health care, child welfare, and early care and education. In order to deliver on the promise of these investments, we need well-trained, well-compensated professionals who can bring their expertise, passion, and commitment to their fields. But across sectors, our society currently underinvests in the needs of this workforce–leading to burnout for professionals and missed opportunities for families.
Childcare is not a family issue, it is a business issue. It affects how we work, when we work and for many, why we work. Moving forward, employer-provided child care could also influence where we work.
Twenty-two percent of South Carolina families are living in poverty, and 42% of single-parent families live in poverty. Despite our state’s recent economic gains, poverty remains stagnant and disparities across racial, ethnic, and geographic lines continue to grow.