Childcare and COVID-19: How the Global Pandemic is threatening The Early Childhood Education Sector

The livelihood of working women in today’s society depends on affordable and accessible childcare throughout the nation. With women rising in ranks professionally and climbing corporate ladders, having access to childcare is essential for women to stay in the workforce. Despite the pressing need for quality yet affordable childcare, the current state of the Early Childhood Education sector has become a barrier for parents, especially mothers, who disproportionately take on caregiving responsibilities when their family cannot find or afford childcare.

We had the opportunity to sit down with Carol Austin who is the Executive Director of First Up, a nonprofit organization committed to providing resources and assistance to ECE providers in the 5-county region. To learn more about the ECE sector and how her organization is providing aid during this crisis, Carol Austin dives into the financial precariousness of these centers, and offers insight to the necessary solutions that are needed to improve its conditions.

Read our interview here.