To help build a stronger, more equitable economic recovery, we have partnered with PolicyMap, Inc. to develop an interactive tool to equip Delaware businesses, nonprofits, and policymakers with the data and resources to meet the child care needs of their workforce. Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia
See how PolicyMap can help your organization.

Challenge

According to a Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia brief, approximately 58% of Delaware’s child care supply has been at risk of permanent closure throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Child care providers have been grappling with rising operating costs and capacity limitations. These disruptions have contributed to declines in labor force participation for parents of young children, especially mothers. As a majority of Delaware’s children live in households with working parents, the impact on the labor force is state-wide. The Delaware Research in Action Lab, a partnership between the Philadelphia Fed, the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, Rodel, and the Delaware Department of Education, hopes to educate the business community on the role that the private sector can play in supporting a robust child care infrastructure in order to help build a strong and equitable workforce recovery.

Solution

The Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia partnered with PolicyMap to develop The Delaware Child Care Map. The public, interactive map of Delaware's licensed child care providers and facilities allows users to filter results based on regional data including demographics, poverty rates, income, and more. In addition to creating maps, users can generate reports and summaries with statistics on licensed child care supply in a selected area and a number of interactive charts and data visualizations on demographics, income and other community characteristics. The maps and reports may be especially impactful for Delaware’s economy, encouraging stakeholders to advocate for investments in child care and consider opportunities to provide workers with quality child care options.