- Executive Summary - Cooperatives in U.S. Economy - Economic
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Services - Financial Services - Discussion Papers - Future
Research - Download Report University of Wisconsin Center for
Cooperatives Research on the Economic Impact of Cooperatives The
demand for quality child care has grown significantly, as
increasing numbers of women have joined the workforce over the
past 25 years. By 2007, >57% of women in families with children
under age 6 were employed (U.S. Department of Labor, 2008).
Considerations of quality, availability and cost all drive a
family’s child care decisions, and many families use multiple
providers to meet their needs. Demand for childcare may also
exist independent of the need to support a family’s work
schedule. The growing recognition of the benefits of early
childhood education, which can foster social, emotional,
intellectual and physical development, also drives the demand
for quality child care programs. Child care cooperative