Study finds childcare access affects work decisions in North Country
A Center for Community Studies survey found childcare availability, cost and scheduling challenges are affecting families and employment across Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties.
A study released Aug. 10 by the Center for Community Studies at Jefferson Community College found that childcare challenges are affecting employment decisions across Jefferson, Lewis, Oswego and St. Lawrence counties.
The survey found that 58% of parents reported missing work because of childcare problems during the past two years, while half said they changed their work schedules. About 22% said they or a spouse or partner left or declined a job because of a lack of childcare. Researchers estimated that figure represents 8,761 potential workers across the four counties.
In St. Lawrence County, parents reported accepting an average childcare travel distance of 14.6 miles, compared with 13.6 miles across the four-county region. Fewer than 10% of county residents rated childcare availability as excellent or good in the 2025 annual quality-of-life survey.
The study also found that summer care was the most commonly reported need, followed by early-morning, evening, weekend and overnight care. St. Lawrence County parents were more likely than parents in the other counties to use family members for childcare.
This story was written from a community submission and reviewed by a ClickNNY editor before publication.