On September 19th, the SEMI Foundation brought together CHIPS office representatives, workforce development thought leaders, and childcare solution providers to present the webinar Childcare in the CHIPS Act: Resources and Solutions. In addition to CHIPS Office representatives, speakers included leaders from Midwest Urban Strategies and Policy Equity Group, who shared local childcare options and tools, and by experts from TOOTRiS and Upwards, who shared their national models.
Recognizing the importance of childcare, the National Institute of Science and Technology through the Department of Commerce stipulates the need for a childcare plan in all CHIPS Act applications of $150 million and above – and strongly encourages applicants of all budget sizes to include them as well. The Childcare in the CHIPS Act webinar was designed to outline childcare requirements for companies must meet to qualify for funding and to offer a range of solutions from local and national providers.
Affordable, accessible, reliable, and high-quality childcare is essential to a robust workforce. Childcare is critical in order for parents to participate in skills training and become more productive at work and for helping companies realize their potential. But the challenges are daunting, as illustrated in the slide below presented by Liat Krawczyk, Sr. Advisor, Workforce & Childcare Strategy at the CHIPS Office, U.S. Department of Commerce.
Designing a childcare plan takes careful research and planning. There is no one size fits all in childcare plans as needs vary widely among families and communities. Also, there is a national crisis around childcare, with not nearly enough providers available for the number of children who need care; and the available care can be prohibitively expensive: in 34 states, childcare is more expensive than in-state college tuition. However, numerous organizations and coalitions are working to address the cost issue and offer various options, including the following that Krawczyk discusses, for employers on both national and local levels.
For more insights from Krawczyk and other presenters, watch the webinar and download the slides here.
The SEMI Foundation would be pleased to provide additional webinars about childcare and other workforce development support for CHIPS Act applications. If you would like to suggest topic ideas for future webinars, or if you need help with your application, please reach out to Michelle Williams-Vaden at mwilliams@semi.org.
Michelle Williams-Vaden is deputy director of the SEMI Foundation.