Childcare Supply Initiative

Childcare is a core pillar of providing children with a safe and supportive environment to develop social skills and become ready for school. Equally important, childcare enables parents and caregivers to participate in the local workforce and provide economic stability for their children. In the United States:

• 61 percent of parents living with at least one child (age 17 or younger) said they did not have any formal childcare arrangements
• Lack of access to infant-toddler childcare alone costs the nation $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue every year

Counties can support families in need of childcare by building partnerships, leveraging diverse funding sources and empowering local leadership in childcare systems.

NACo's Childcare Supply Network is a group of local communities working across sectors to identify local barriers to childcare availability and co-create sustainable solutions to address local childcare demand. From 2025-2026, the Network is working to build scalable solutions that all counties can benefit from. Coming in 2026, watch this space for the Network's national toolkit full of replicable policy and financing strategies and solutions.

This effort is made possible by the Investing in America Child Care Partnership. Read our press release, announcing the Network: National Association of Counties expands programming to build childcare supply