Workforce Support
The Child Care Workforce: The backbone of our local economy
We have long known that a high quality child care system provides an opportunity for young children to learn, make friends, and grow in a safe place. We also know a local economy also cannot exist without early childhood professionals: businesses need employees. Parents of young children need someone to care for their children while they work.
But today, child care is too expensive and not accessible enough. Many parents work fewer hours, leave the workforce, or do not participate at all because they cannot find child care or afford it. This outcome hurts everyone: children, families, businesses, and our local economy.
This is why Invest in Children and a number of partners co-launched Early Matters NEO, a coalition of civic, business, and early learning leaders. The group works together to advance public and private policies that increase access to quality, affordable child care in support of workforce and business growth in Northeast Ohio.
Early Matters NEO Report: Driving Growth
During the Summer of 2024, Early Matters NEO partnered with economist Dr. Clive Belfield to produce its first report, titled: “Driving Growth: The Economic Value of Child Care in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.” The report highlights working families’ experiences and calculates the economic impact of their inability to access child care.
The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Workforce: Laying the Foundation of Early Childhood Development
Behavioral health professionals who work in the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) sector provide services that help families find stability during stressful times. They also help young children heal from trauma and teach caregivers how to parent in ways they may not have experienced as a child.
Their work also encompasses
- Promoting the social and emotional health of young children
- Broaching potential concerns early to prevent further challenges
- Treating diagnosed conditions with evidence-based practice.
Addressing Challenges Within the Sector
Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health professionals also face numerous challenges, chief among them the demand for their services.
Each year, Cuyahoga County’s IECMH system serves as many as 2,000 children and their caregivers. This is significant support, but it’s not enough. Many families in need of services often experience a waitlist that can be up to 150-families long.
National research estimates that 10 to 16 percent of young children nationwide experience mental health conditions. Applied to Cuyahoga County, this means between approximately 8,000 to 12,600 children under age 6 could potentially benefit from mental-health services that would help them heal from trauma, learn skills to manage emotions, and build resilience.
In response, Invest in Children and partner organizations formed the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) Funders Task Force in 2022. The task force hired Kirtland Consulting to assess the IECMH landscape and create a plan to strengthen and expand the workforce in Cuyahoga County. Invest in Children leads the implementation of the IECMH Workforce Plan, with the Centers for Community Solutions overseeing project management.
As part of its work on the taskforce, Invest in Children aims to:
- Increase awareness of the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health field
- Support paid internships
- Create paths for aspiring young professionals to gain credentials and enter the field and mid-career professionals to change trajectory and pursue Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health work
- Advocate for Ohio Medicaid to recognize the DC:0-5 (Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood) for billing.
- Join the Alliance for the Advancement of Infant Mental Health