Last month, I had the pleasure of speaking with you about a community event we were hosting, A Community Conversation on Childcare, in partnership with the Children’s Trust of Alachua County, the Early Learning Coalition of Alachua County and the Business Leadership Institute for Early Learning. This dynamic roundtable discussion was envisioned as a way to explore the business of childcare through the lens of employers, local businesses, elected officials, economic stakeholders and childcare businesses. Of course, the ultimate goal is to help find solutions for our local families and employers to the continuing challenge of childcare access, affordability and quality.

This topic is so important to us at the Gainesville Chamber that I want to follow up with some of the information shared at the October 9th event. One of our impactful speakers was Herman T. Knopf, Ph.D., Senior Research Scientist at UF’s Anita Zucker Center, who stated bluntly, “Let me start with a number: $5.38 billion. That’s what we’re losing. Every year. In Florida alone. Because we’ve somehow convinced ourselves that childcare is a family problem instead of what it actually is— the foundation of everything else that follows.”

Dr. Knopf was also clear about another sobering fact, that “quality early care and education isn’t babysitting. It’s brain architecture. It’s the biological foundation for lifelong learning, behavior, and health.”

Also represented at this event was The Children’s Movement of Florida, whose mission is to “advocate for the policies and investments that help each child in Florida thrive in their first five years.” They are focused on the elements of a family-friendly workplace: paid leave, flexible work and scheduling, health and wellness benefits, childcare and accommodations and support.

Mark Wilson, president and CEO of the Florida Chamber of Commerce, also spoke passionately at this event about the childcare crisis and its significance to our economy. “Barriers to accessing early learning threaten families and businesses across Florida,” he reports, “and improving early learning and childcare access means keeping jobs filled, keeping parents in the workforce, and preparing the next generation of Florida talent for success.”

And as Dr. Knopf also made clear, we neglect to adapt to meet the needs of our workforce at our peril. “What we know is that 28% of Florida parents have had their employment affected by childcare issues,” he said. “Fifteen percent left a job in the last six months. Not because they

wanted to. Because they couldn’t find affordable, quality care. Sixty-four percent missed work in the last three months. That’s two out of every three parents.”

While there is no magic bullet or one-size-fits-all recommendation that will solve our childcare crisis, we do have dedicated, quality organizations tackling this crisis head-on. Ideas to ponder from The Children’s Movement include: public—private partnerships between employers and early learning and K-12 providers; community school approaches serving as a one-stop-shop for families; a tri-share model to make childcare costs more affordable; and above and beyond scholarships for the most vulnerable children.

As our community’s leading business advocate, your Greater Gainesville Chamber is committed to continuing this conversation. We all have a role to play. Small business or large, for-profit or nonprofit, we can work together to ensure our next generation has the care and support they need to prepare for all of life’s wonderful opportunities.

Eric Godet is president/CEO of the Greater Gainesville Chamber