Rep. O'Halleran, Business, Military, and Law Enforcement Leaders Draw Attention to Arizona's Child Care Crisis

A devastating infant-and-toddler child care crisis deals a massive $57 billion in economic damage to our nation each year by leaving working parents distracted and unfocused at work, and young children without needed, high-quality supports that can cause persistent problems as they grow. And this crisis is particularly pressing in Arizona.

That was the powerful message sent during a pair of events on October 10 that included featured U.S. Representative Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ, 1st District) and local business, military, and law enforcement leaders. The local leaders were members of three national, bipartisan groups under the Council for a Strong America umbrella, each representing a different sector of society affected by the crisis: the business group ReadyNation, the crime prevention group Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Mission: Readiness, a group made up of retired admirals and generals.

First, at Casa Grande City Hall, Rep. O’Halleran participated in a roundtable discussion with ReadyNation member Michael Kintner, Director of Marketing & Operations, Harrah’s Ak-Chin Casino, ReadyNation member Robert Medler, Vice President, Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, and Mission: Readiness member Brigadier General (Ret.) Terrence Woods, U.S. Air Force.

Roundtable discussion with, from left to right, U.S. Rep. Tom O'Halleran, ReadyNation member Robert Medler, Mission: Readiness member Brigadier General (Ret.) Terrence Woods, and ReadyNation member Michael Kintner, moderated by Council for a Strong America Federal Policy Senior Associate Maria Randazzo

The day also included a site visit to a high-quality child care facility in Flagstaff, the Foresight Learning Center. There, Rep. O’Halleran joined Coconino Deputy County Attorney Aamon Barker of Fight Crime: Invest in Kids, and Lieutenant General (Ret.) Richard Zahner, U.S. Army, of Mission: Readiness in getting a firsthand look at a child care facility in the community, while bringing additional attention to this ongoing problem for Arizona parents and families.

The Casa Grande roundtable event, hosted by the national business leader group ReadyNation and entitled “Child Care Solutions Will Boost the Economy,” explored the challenges faced by parents, children, and employers across Arizona as a result of the child care crisis. The convening came on the heels of a recent Council for a Strong America report that detailed the immense harm dealt to Arizona by this alarming problem.

The economic impact of the crisis is both immediate and long-term, a point underscored during the discussion. As Michael Kintner noted, “From a workforce point of view, when parents do not have reliable, affordable quality child care, their work suffers, their productivity plummets, and they have difficulty advancing in their careers.”

The crisis also impacts the future workforce because young children who don’t have high-quality early supports can often experience worse educational and life outcomes as a result.

Drawing on his personal observations in his role at the Tucson Metro Chamber of Commerce, Robert Medler emphasized what a pressing problem the crisis is in Arizona. “About 61 percent of children under age six in Arizona have both parents or their only parent working outside the home,” Medler explained. “That means that over 300,000 children need some measure of supervision while their parents are on the job and many of these children are not getting high-quality child care.”

This point echoes the report’s findings, which included the fact that about half of all Arizona residents live in a child care “desert,” where options are scarce. He also pointed out that the child care that is available is often expensive, with the annual cost of center-based care for children ages birth to four in Arizona averaging about $11,000 per year—about the same as the average cost of in-state, public college tuition. Moreover, quality is another top-of-mind concern, as only seven percent of Arizona child care centers, and one percent of other family child care providers, are, in fact, accredited.

General Woods focused on the long-term implications for young children, pointing out that “early brain development sets the stage for children’s future academic success.” He also tied the crisis to national security, saying that, “Investing in high-quality child care helps jumpstart successful educational achievement, a requirement for military service, and critical to growing our pool of eligible military recruits.”

Currently, only 28 percent of Arizona’s young adults (age 17-24) can qualify for military service, mostly due to educational issues, criminal history, or a lack of physical fitness.

Rep. O’Halleran also emphasized the importance of starting kids on the right path as early as possible. “Every American deserves a quality education, and that begins at an early age. Investing in quality early childhood education and care not only spurs development and growth for students but can also have lasting impacts on entire communities,” he said.

“Early childhood education and care programs set all children—especially children from low-income families—up for success in school and life. I’m committed to supporting these critical programs and expanding access to quality education and child care for all Americans.”