Boosting Iowa’s Economy: The Childcare Solutions Fund featuring Sherri Penney

Like other states across the nation, Iowa faces a severe shortage of quality affordable childcare. Research by the Iowa Women’s Foundation found that the annual average cost of infant care in Iowa is 18.4% higher than in-state tuition at a four-year public college and 14.1% higher than annual housing costs. The fact is, childcare is prohibitively expensive if not entirely inaccessible to many Iowa families with young kids. Without affordable and reliable childcare, parents’—especially mothers—miss out on work. When women forego employment early in their careers because they don’t have childcare, not only do they lose the opportunity to earn income, but they also miss out on crucial years to build their careers and increase their earning potential over the long term, causing them to fall behind economically. And when childcare reduces participation in Iowa’s workforce, the state’s businesses and economy also lose.

Joining Host and CSI Chairman Earl Wright is Sheri Penny, who serves as Employment Engagement Director for the Iowa Women’s Foundation, a Des Moines-based non-profit focused on shattering the barriers to economic self-sufficiency for Iowa’s women and girls. The organization is engaged with 85 communities, more than 160 business leaders, 44 economic development and chamber of commerce offices, and 37 out-of-state leaders—all working with the Iowa Women’s Foundation on childcare solutions. She and CSI Iowa's Director of Policy & Research Ben Murrey discuss the issue from a variety of angles including the causes, solutions, potential impacts, and how childcare profoundly affects Iowa's workforce. Our full study on the issue can be found here.

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