{"id":248754,"date":"2026-07-23T10:14:29","date_gmt":"2026-07-23T14:14:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=248754"},"modified":"2026-07-23T12:23:23","modified_gmt":"2026-07-23T16:23:23","slug":"2025connecticut_parent_caregiver_survey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2026\/07\/2025connecticut_parent_caregiver_survey\/","title":{"rendered":"New UConn Survey Finds 53% of Connecticut Parents Say Childcare is Too Expensive"},"content":{"rendered":"

Connecticut parent Vanessa Hawke recalls the week she was offered a new job on a late Thursday afternoon and was asked to start on Monday. While elated for the new opportunity, she realized she had one business day to arrange affordable childcare for her 3-year-old son.<\/p>\n

\"Vanessa
Vanessa Hawke, deputy director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, makes remarks during a press conference, held July 22 at the UConn School of Social Work. (CT-N)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hawke filled out forms, emergency contacts, and other paperwork, hoping to get a \u201cmystery childcare spot that was hopefully available.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNeedless to say, my son came to work with me that Monday,\u201d she says. \u201cIn the end, the best that I could do to cobble this childcare I needed was 30 hours a week across two different programs, one of which was in a neighboring town in the opposite direction that I had to go to in. For my son, this meant a lot of dysregulation \u2026 trying to adjust to two sets of classroom expectations and to different routines every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since 30 hours of childcare wasn\u2019t enough to cover a full time job, she made up for the time by working late into the night, early in the mornings, and occasional weekends, and still struggled to pay for the care that cost more than her mortgage.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd that was just during the school year. When my (8-year-old) daughter was no longer in her elementary school program, she would need care as well,\u201d Hawke says.<\/p>\n

Hawke, who now works as a deputy director of the Connecticut Early Childhood Alliance, shared her personal story during a press conference held July 22 at the UConn School of Social Work in Hartford. There, media and members of the community gathered to hear the results of the new statewide survey conducted by researchers at the University of Connecticut School of Social Work<\/a> in partnership with the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood<\/a> (OEC).<\/p>\n

\"Samantha
Samantha Lawrence, assistant research professor at the UConn School of Social Work, shared the results of the 2025 Connecticut Parent\/Caregiver Survey. Lawrence is principal investigator of the study. (Olivia Drake\/UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“Finding affordable, reliable childcare remains one of the biggest challenges facing Connecticut families,” said Samantha Lawrence, assistant research professor at the UConn School of Social Work and principal investigator of the 2025 Connecticut Parent\/Caregiver Survey<\/a> study. “Parents and caregivers are the experts on what it takes to make childcare work in their daily lives. This survey brings thousands of those experiences into view, helping us see both the challenges families face statewide and the important differences from town to town and family to family.”<\/p>\n

The survey offers one of the most comprehensive snapshots of Connecticut families’ childcare experiences and establishes a baseline for measuring the impact of future state investments. Based on responses from 3,719 parents and caregivers across the state, the researchers found that 53% of respondents believe childcare is too expensive. Nearly one-third (30%) said they were actively searching for childcare, on a waiting list, or both, while more than one-third (35%) reported that their current childcare arrangement does not fully meet their family’s needs.<\/p>\n

Additionally, across nearly every community, Lawrence reported, that parents and caregivers sought childcare “where children would feel safe, where children could learn and develop, where they would feel comfortable leaving their child, and where care was affordable,” she said. “Taken together, these findings provide a richer understanding of how families experience childcare, helping us better understand the challenges families share and how those experiences differ across Connecticut.”<\/p>\n

Families Continue to Face Significant Barriers<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lawrence and her 10-person team discovered the survey revealed substantial differences in childcare access across Connecticut communities.<\/p>\n

Families with toddlers reported some of the greatest difficulties, with nearly half actively searching for care or waiting for an opening. Lower-income families were also more likely to report unmet childcare needs and challenges accessing financial assistance.<\/p>\n

Regional disparities were equally striking. In one seven-town area of northeastern Connecticut, 71% of families reported searching for childcare, being on a waiting list, or both\u2014the highest rate among the 48 local areas included in the survey.<\/p>\n

The survey, which was funded by the Connecticut Office of Early Childhood through the federal Child Care and Development Fund, also incorporated parent leadership throughout the research process, with a Parent Committee helping shape survey questions and outreach efforts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe survey findings validate what I heard over and over from parents while we were out in the community,\u201d said Adriana Warkoski, a member of the survey\u2019s Parent Committee and a Parent Ambassador with OEC\u2019s Parents Connecting Parents program. \u201cFrom city to city and town to town, the message was the same: childcare costs too much, the process is too complicated, and families wait too long for an opening. If Connecticut wants a childcare system that really works, it has to be built around what Connecticut families really need.\u201d<\/p>\n

View all of the survey’s key findings.<\/a><\/p>\n

Research That Informs Policy<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Connecticut<\/a>
\u201cWhat [the] survey showed us is what we all know all too well \u2014 which is that whether you live in the richest town in Connecticut or the most rural part of Connecticut, it doesn’t matter,” said Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon, an advocate for universal affordable childcare. “This is a problem in all 169 towns in our State, for families from all different walks of life.\u201d (Olivia Drake\/UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>The survey findings come as Connecticut begins implementing the Early Childhood Education Endowment, established in 2025 to create a long-term funding source for early childhood education.<\/p>\n

Initial investments from the endowment have supported up to 1,000 new Early Start CT childcare<\/a> spaces and an 8% increase in provider payment rates. By repeating the survey every two years, researchers and policymakers will be able to measure whether those investments improve families’ experiences over time.<\/p>\n

\u201cParents are at the center of our work to support young children,\u201d said OEC Commissioner Elena Trueworthy. \u201cParent voice and leadership are critical because they inform our agency about family needs and their priorities for safe, quality childcare. This Parent\/Caregiver Survey provides data to guide our decisions as we build a sustainable early childhood education system that works for families across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Connecticut State Comptroller Sean Scanlon said the findings underscore why continued investment is needed.<\/p>\n

“As the parents of two young children, my wife and I know firsthand what this survey confirms: childcare is unaffordable for most working families,” Scanlon says. “The goal of the new Connecticut Early Childhood Education Endowment is to make it affordable, and this continuing survey will help track our progress when it comes to the important mission of lowering childcare costs for families in our state.”<\/p>\n

\"State<\/a>
\u201cThis survey highlights the very real challenge facing so many parents and caregivers in our state, and establishes an important benchmark that will help us measure the impact of the Early Childhood Education Endowment over time,\u201d said State Treasurer Erick Russell. “This survey will help to ensure the endowment is delivering meaningful results for children, parents, providers, and communities across our state.\u201d (Olivia Drake\/UConn)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

State Treasurer Erick Russell, who is charged with administering, investing, and distributing funds in the Early Childhood Education Endowment, stressed the importance of investing in early childcare. The reality, he said, is parents aren’t \u00a0reentering the workforce because they’re going to spend more on childcare than they’d earn at the job. “And [there are] folks who have been sitting on wait lists for some time, trying to get access to care. The reality is unfortunate,” he said.<\/p>\n

“For a long time, we’ve talked about childcare as simply an expense. And the reality is that if we continue to make these investments in this system, in people, in being able to provide more affordable care, it has a net return for the state,” Russell said. “This is all beneficial when you look at this from a long term perspective. As we know, as we get more people back to work, as we provide more quality affordable options for families, that this is all going to be something that is lifting up our state that’s going to help fill these 80,000 jobs that we have available in the state.”<\/p>\n

Next\u00a0<\/strong>Steps<\/b><\/p>\n

\"Laura
“One of the most important roles of public university can play is creating a space where research, lived experience and public policy come together,” said School of Social Work Dean Laura Curran. (CT-N)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cChildcare is essential infrastructure,\u201d said School of Social Work Dean Laura Curran. \u201cIt supports children\u2019s development, makes work possible for parents and caregivers, strengthens family economic security, and helps communities thrive. Decisions about childcare policy and public investment should therefore be grounded in a clear understanding of what families experience in their daily lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

That commitment, she said, is \u201cat the heart of\u201d the OEC\u2013UConn School of Social Work Partnership and the Connecticut Parent\/Caregiver Survey. \u201cThese findings bring thousands of families\u2019 experiences into the public conversation and connect what parents and caregivers reported with the leaders who shape state policy and investment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawrence’s team conducted the survey during fall 2025 both online and in person, offering it in four languages with assistance from approximately 140 community partners across Connecticut. The collaborative approach helped ensure participation from families representing a wide range of communities and experiences.<\/p>\n

In the upcoming weeks, Lawrence and her team plan to distribute the survey findings to community partners and families through a one-page fact sheet and an e-mailed animated video, available in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Polish.<\/p>\n

These findings are especially timely as Connecticut continues making major investments in its early childhood system,” Lawrence said. “Because this survey is designed to be repeated every two years, [our] findings establish an updated benchmark that will allow us to measure change over time, not only whether policies and programs evolve, but whether families themselves experience meaningful improvements in access, affordability, and the ability to find childcare that meets their needs.”<\/p>\n

Watch the entire press conference on Connecticut Network (CT-N)<\/a> and view more survey results and photos of the press conference below and in this online photo gallery<\/a>. (Graphics by Sabina Bandhari, ’26 Ph.D.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Arunan
Hartford Mayor Arunan Arulampalam offered a brief welcome on behalf of the City of Hartford.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"A
More than 35 people attended the press conference, held at the UConn School of Social Work. Connecticut Network (CT-N) filmed the press briefing.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\"2025<\/a><\/p>\n

\"2025<\/a><\/p>\n

For more information about the survey, contact Samantha Lawrence<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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