2020 Orange County Child Care Landscape Analysis

An analysis released on Oct. 7, 2020 to First 5 Orange County commissioners reveals a harsh landscape for Orange County’s working parents hoping to find affordable child care, especially for those who need it for their infants or toddlers.

The “Orange County Child Care Landscape Analysis,” directed by First 5 Orange County, is the first part of a three-phase initiative to know the availability and type of child care offered for young children in Orange County; the flow of public funding entering the county; and the key providers and partners involved in providing child care.

The second phase (already underway) will assess the impact of child care issues in Orange County on the economy, employers and working parents/caregivers, while the third phase will develop a series of recommendations that will ultimately help solve Orange County’s child care crisis.

As more families and child care facilities were impacted by COVID-19, it became clear that the child care system – while a critical underpinning to the local economy – is fragile and ripe for systemwide improvements.

Read the report (click the image below) or Read the Executive Summary in Spanish here.

To learn more and discover ways to help, contact Tiffany Alva, Director of Partnerships and Government Affairs, at Tiffany.Alva@cfcoc.ocgov.com.

Parent/employer surveys:

First 5 Orange County would like to further understand the impact that child care issues in Orange County are having on parents/caregivers and employers.

Please take a survey to give us your experience. The survey should only take about 5 minutes.

• Parents/caregiver survey: English | Spanish
• Employer survey: English | Spanish

More resources:

• Media release: Child Care Landscape Analysis Report
• Media release: $10.1 million approved for child care providers
• First 5 OC Commissioner Susan McClintic’s op-ed: “The Time To Fix Orange County’s Child Care Is Now”
• Early Childhood OC Orange County COVID-19 Child Care Assistance Database

Nationwide:

• LAist: California Child Care Spaces Have Been Disappearing For Years. The Pandemic Is Making It Even Harder To Survive
• Picking Up the Pieces: Building a Better Child Care System Post COVID-19
• Video: Why Does Child Care Cost So Much Yet Providers Make So Little? | Child Care Aware of America
• Time: How COVID-19 is Decimating the Child Care Industry
• Vox: The Future of the Economy Hinges on Child Care
• The Atlantic: What Are Parents Supposed to Do With Their Kids?

Searchable Child Care Databases:

• Children’s Home Society of California 
• Early Childhood OC 
• Orange County Association for the Education of Young Children (OCAEYC)
• Orange County Head Start, Inc.

Images to share on social media:

Spread the word on how child care has been impacted in Orange County. Click on each image to open in a new tab, then right-click and “Save Image” to use in your social media posts.