Summary: “Is Affordable, Accessible Child Care the Hidden Barrier to Virginia’s Growth?”
The Richmond Times-Dispatch published an op-ed by Rupa Murthy, CEO of YWCA Richmond, on December 11, 2025, titled “Is Affordable, Accessible Child Care the Hidden Barrier to Virginia’s Growth?”
She explained that affordable, accessible child care is increasingly shaping whether Virginians can participate in the workforce — and whether employers can attract and retain talent. Her commentary argues that child care is no longer a private family issue, but a core piece of economic infrastructure critical to Virginia’s long-term competitiveness.
Key Takeaways
- Child care is a workforce bottleneck: Parents want to work and employers want to hire, but high costs and limited availability of child care are pushing skilled workers to scale back, leave jobs, or exit the workforce entirely.
- The economic impact is statewide: Recent data from VEDP shows that employers across Virginia are losing talent not due to lack of skills, but because families choose locations where child care is more affordable and reliable. Roughly 80% of Virginia families find quality child care financially out of reach, forcing difficult tradeoffs that undermine workforce participation.
- Talent attraction now includes child care: Companies and site selectors increasingly view child care access as part of a broader “quality of life” equation when deciding where to expand or locate.
- Employer-led solutions can work: Examples like on-site or integrated child care show that addressing family needs is a strategic investment, not corporate charity.
- Sustainable models already exist: Mixed-income child care approaches, such as those used by YWCA Richmond, demonstrate how affordability and financial viability can coexist.
- Child care should be treated as infrastructure: Like roads or broadband, affordable child care is foundational to economic growth, workforce stability, and Virginia’s competitive edge.
To read the full column, visit: https://richmond.com/opinion/column/article_016bc58d-8475-4119-8d05-6a550831a460.html
