This article was originally published in the Washington State Standard.

Jessica Heavner describes it as the most difficult decision she has ever had to make.

Heavner, of Federal Way, worked in accounting for the local school district. When it came time to get her annual cost-of-living raise two years ago, she realized the raise would put her above the state’s income limit for subsidized child care.

She would earn too much to receive state support to care for her three children, but too little to cover the childcare costs herself, given the high costs.

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To keep the subsidy, Heavner, a single mother, chose a lower-paying job with fewer hours, even though her previous job paid more and provided better benefits.

“I feel like I’m trapped in poverty,” Heavner said.

She is not alone in her dilemma. A new study by Washington-based Child Care Aware found that a lack of child care in the state costs families and employers billions of dollars annually. Employee turnover and absenteeism, as well as lost family income due to child care, cost about $6.9 billion last year, or about $870 per resident.

The report analyzes survey data from Zogby Analytics, which surveyed 606 parents in Washington, and applies the results to the state’s 1.5 million parents with children ages 12 or younger.

Nearly 40 percent of parents surveyed said they had quit their jobs or been laid off since the birth of their children. About 62 percent said they had missed at least one day of work in the past three months, and one in ten had been unemployed for at least a year since the birth of their children.

Problems include the cost of care, bottlenecks in availability and a lack of care options.

Parents who cannot afford childcare may not be able to find work or attend professional training courses. Those who have a job may have to face reduced working hours or miss out on promotion opportunities.

This lost productivity resulted in a $1.5 billion loss in federal, state and local tax revenues last year, according to the report. It also reduces Washington’s economic output by an estimated $6 billion each year, the report said.

Last year, the report found, employers lost $1.5 billion in employee turnover due to child care issues and another $2.6 billion in employee absences due to child care issues. At the same time, families lost $2.9 billion in income due to child care failures.

“This shows in numbers that this is not just a problem for a handful of families and not just a problem that child care providers have to face and address,” said Genevieve Stokes, director of government relations at Child Care Aware in Washington.. “This is something that is damaging the entire economy.”

The problem won’t go away unless the state spends more money on child care, Stokes said. Recent investments in the area through the capital gains tax and the Fair Start for Kids Act have helped, but she added that Washington needs to do more to ensure families and providers aren’t simply “treading water.”

As part of the Fair Start for Kids Act passed three years ago, lawmakers are expected to increase eligibility for the state’s child care subsidy program starting next year for those earning 70% of the state’s median household income. Currently, subsidies are available for those earning 60% of the state’s median income. The median monthly income for a two-person household is $6,892. For a three-person household, it’s $8,514 and for a four-person household, it’s $10,136.

Stokes expressed hope that the state will meet that commitment next year, as it could help many families who cannot afford care on their own.

Advocates, providers and families are also pushing for a statewide cap on what all Washington families would pay for child care, which would likely be 7% of their income. But that change would be expensive for the state, and with lawmakers facing a budget cut in the upcoming legislative session, it’s not likely to become a reality anytime soon.

After searching unsuccessfully for child care she felt comfortable with, Heavner said she finally found someone she trusted to care for her children and who understands her financial situation. To continue to afford that care, she will likely have to stay in her current job and work minimal hours until her children are older, Heavner said.

However, she said she still fears accidentally earning too much money in one year and losing her subsidy. She said a nationwide cap on child care costs would be a boon.

“I wouldn’t have to worry about how much money I was making,” Heavner said. “I wouldn’t have to worry about how to improve my life while having young children.”

Washington State Standard is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) nonprofit organization. Washington State Standard maintains its editorial independence. If you have questions, contact Publisher Bill Lucia at [email protected]. Follow Washington State Standard on Facebook and X.