By: Dana Cummings
You’ve probably seen countless posts from leaders thanking mentors, sponsors, or colleagues who’ve guided them along their professional journey. Those acknowledgments are important—and yet, there’s another group of supporters who rarely gets the recognition they deserve: the people who care for our children so we can go to work!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately as my own children grow older. The photo below shows my three kids with one of their very first caregivers, Suzzanne—someone who made it possible for me to build my career knowing my babies were safe, loved, and learning. Caregivers like Suzzanne are the often-invisible backbone of our workplaces and communities.
Yet as a country, we have a childcare crisis. My own doctoral research, Spinning Plates: Leadership Development Obstacles for Women Working in Indiana Higher Education (Cummings, 2024), underscored how lack of affordable, quality childcare remains a major barrier for working parents—especially women who aspire to leadership roles.
Consider these facts:
- According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 72% of parents report that finding affordable childcare is a significant challenge.
- Nearly 50% of Americans live in a “childcare desert”—areas where there are too few licensed childcare providers to meet demand.
- Childcare costs have soared: the average annual cost of center-based care for an infant now exceeds $13,000, rivaling or exceeding in-state college tuition in many states.
- My own dissertation interviews revealed that for many women in leadership roles, reliable childcare was the single most important factor in their ability to pursue career advancement.
These statistics aren’t just numbers—they’re daily realities for millions of families. And they directly impact our workplaces, leadership pipelines, and economic stability.
So today, I want to say thank you to all the caregivers who make our professional lives possible: the daycare workers, babysitters, preschool teachers, grandparents, neighbors, and friends who show up for our kids so we can show up for our careers. You are true partners in every success we achieve.
As leaders, let’s commit to recognizing this critical support system—and advocating for policies that make quality childcare accessible and affordable for every family.
References & Further Reading
• Cummings, D. S. (2024). Spinning Plates: Leadership Development Obstacles for Women Working in Indiana Higher Education. Creighton University. Read here.
• U.S. Department of Labor, Women’s Bureau: Childcare Costs and Accessibility.