Around 37% of childcare centers nationwide reported decreased net income in 2022, according to a Childcare Industry Snapshot Report by the company HiMama. (Adobe Stock)

Ohio’s child care providers said they are struggling to stay in business due to drops in attendance with no help in sight from the state or federal government.

A report published earlier this year by Ready Nation found Ohio’s economy loses nearly $4 billion per year due to child care issues.

Tarrezz Thompson, a child care provider in Columbus, explained her small program, which primarily serves children of color and their families, has operated the past few years without sustainable reimbursement from the state.

“Our funding doesn’t match the needs of the families in our community,” Thompson asserted. “It also doesn’t match the services we need to provide. All of the state funding that comes in goes back into the program we’re running.”

According to a poll released last year by Groundwork Ohio, nearly half of Ohio parents with children under the age of five say they have had serious problems affording child care or big challenges with child care that have impacted their work.

Will Petrik, budget researcher for Policy Matters Ohio, explained infant care can cost families upwards of $10,000 a year, rivaling in-state public college tuition. He added because most families cannot afford quality child care without increasing subsidies, more providers will likely shut their doors.

“And despite these enormous costs, many child care providers, particularly those that accept publicly funded child care — the public child care subsidy — they’re struggling to keep their doors open,” Petrik reported.

According to the First Five Years Fund, nationwide communities have lost nearly 80,000 child care workers since the pandemic.