Building Child Care Nationwide
“Child care is as Important to a Community as a Water Main under a Street.”
At First Children’s Finance, we help states and communities design real solutions to the child care crisis so families can thrive, businesses can grow, and economies can flourish.
Child care is more than a social service - it is a critical economic infrastructure. Affordable, reliable care enables parents to work, children to learn, and businesses to prosper.
The shortage of quality child care is a nationwide challenge: It limits workforce participation, strains businesses, and slows economic growth.
In rural communities, where labor pools are smaller and resources limited, the impact is especially acute making child care expansion not optional, but essential to long-term community resilience.
- Luverne, MN Mayor Patrick Baustian
Economy
Boston Consulting Group estimates that the care crisis in the U.S. could cost the country’s economy up to $290 billion a year in 2030 and beyond if not addressed.
Child Care Deserts
57% of Americans live in a child care desert, where there are insufficient licensed child care slots to meet demand.
Workforce
Lack of child care directly impacts workforce participation. Over 50% of parents reporting that child care challenges affect their ability to work full time.
Rural Child Care
Rural families spend a higher percentage of their income on child care than urban families, yet have fewer local options (USDA Economic Research Service).
We Help Communities
First Children’s Finance partners with communities to build sustainable child care solutions by:
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Engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders: government leaders, businesses, chambers of commerce, parents, and child care providers.
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Conducting data-driven analyses of current and future child care supply and demand.
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Designing customized strategies that align resources, funding, and community priorities.
Results
Real Results Across the Country
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Thousands of new child care slots created and preserved
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More than 100 communities served nationwide
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Millions of dollars leveraged in public and private investment
How We Help You!
We partner with leaders at every level to design and implement community-based child care strategies:
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State Leaders & Agencies – to scale solutions statewide, align funding, and strengthen child care as critical infrastructure.
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Community Coalitions & Local Leaders – to create customized child care supply plans, leverage funding, and move from planning to action.
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Employers & Economic Development Partners – to support the workforce and ensure businesses can thrive.
Whether statewide or community-driven, our consultative services help decision makers move from identifying the challenge to implementing real, sustainable local solutions.
From Ideas to Action: Child Care in Motion
Sauk Prairie, WI
Strategic planning led to the construction of a $5.2M child care center serving 120 children.
Floodwood, MN
Local leaders in a rural child care desert collaborated to co-create a child care solution amid provider closures.
La Farge, WI Brings Vision to Life
The Village of La Farge demonstrated the power of collaboration to open the La Farge Community Childcare Center.
Greg Grohman, Waupaca, Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Invested in community strategic supply planning for over 30 counties across the state.
Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa
Culturally grounded planning identified gaps and strategies to expand child care access.
Vermont Ski Resorts Step Up for Families
Vermont ski resorts helps keep the state’s rural economy moving with child care for the local community