1.6. Introduction: Key Points

Dependent care is a key enabling/supporting sector for economic development.
Accessible and affordable dependent care services are key community amenities to attract and retain qualified workers.
Policymakers and employers are increasingly adopting measures and programs aimed at supporting working parents and caregivers. These new policies also help prevent working family members from dropping out of the labor force.
High dependent care costs mainly affect women and cause them to leave the workforce altogether or take lower-paying jobs with less-demanding hours.
Dependent care services are often in short supply and out of reach for caregivers.
Dependent care professionals work on highly demanding jobs but do not make living wages.
Providers face challenges in staying open, mainly due to high operational costs, difficulties in complying with strict regulations and low or inexistent profit margins.
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to lead to widespread permanent closures of dependent care businesses in West Virginia.
By increasing the supply and affordability of dependent care services, employers can count on a productive and reliable workforce both today and in the future [51]. It also leads to cost savings from expenses related to loss of productivity and hiring and training new employees.