West Virginia’s childcare system is under growing strain: The cost of care is more than many families can afford, the wages for childcare workers are inadequate and the number of spots for kids is shrinking.
Providers are struggling to hire workers, expand capacity and keep their doors open, leaving more than 28,000 children without access to care.
Business leaders, providers and parents say the shortage is a workforce issue, keeping some parents from working and making it harder for employers to retain staff.
The problem persists as West Virginia continues trying to increase the number of people actively working and participating in the labor force, which remains the lowest in the nation.
Here are a few challenges faced by West Virginia’s childcare industry and the families it serves, visualized in three charts:
Childcare consumes a significant share of household income
The average cost of childcare in West Virginia can set families back over $10,000 a year, almost a fifth of the state’s median household income.
To help families afford the cost, the federal Child Care and Development Block Grant subsidizes care based on household income through West Virginia’s Connect program.
Those payments are sent directly to childcare providers as reimbursements from the state.
About 6,500 children receive subsidies for care through the program. Families whose childcare is subsidized pay an average of $120 a month.
Childcare workers earn less than a living wage
Though the cost of childcare is high, childcare workers aren’t reaping the benefits.
One of the biggest challenges facing West Virginia’s childcare industry is retaining workers.
The median hourly wage for childcare workers in the state is about $13 an hour, according to federal labor data. That is only slightly higher than the median wage for fast food and counter workers and well below the estimated living wage.
A living wage is the measure of how much it would cost to support a household with at least one full-time income. In West Virginia, it’s about $20 an hour for a single adult with no children.
Providers say low wages make it difficult to recruit workers into an industry already facing high turnover and staffing shortages.
The shortages can have ripple effects throughout the system. When providers cannot hire enough workers, they may have to close classrooms, reduce enrollment or stop expanding, even when demand remains high.
Part of the reason workers aren’t paid competitively is reimbursement rates.
The state reimburses childcare centers serving infants and toddlers with subsidies 42% of what it costs to provide care.
But those rates don’t often reflect the actual cost of care for childcare centers. That means centers are often reimbursed for less, which lowers revenues and leaves centers less to pay workers.
And recent changes to how the state reimburses for childcare have cost some providers thousands of dollars a month, while the Trump administration works to rewrite Biden-era rules that helped steady the industry.
Several other states have created programs offering childcare workers stipends, free healthcare or free childcare in an effort to buoy their workforce.
Many counties lack enough childcare access
Childcare access varies widely across West Virginia.
In some counties, the demand for childcare outpaces the supply of licensed providers, leaving children without care and parents stuck on months-long waiting lists.
In rural central West Virginia, multiple counties only have one or two providers to serve hundreds of children. For example, Calhoun, Clay and Wirt counties have some of the highest gaps of access.
In Clay County, parents only have one provider. That means, if the center is full, parents have to drive out of the county for care.
Meanwhile, over 200 childcare centers in the state have closed since 2024.
Other states have found innovative ways to address the challenges of a lack of childcare.
Michigan lawmakers implemented a cost-share program that would help parents afford care by splitting costs with employers, providers and the state. And New Mexico became the first state in the country to provide universal free childcare for low-income families, funded by oil and gas industry revenue.
Business leaders at the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce have argued for expanding childcare access to increase the number of parents in the workforce.
They have offered several proposals to lawmakers, many of which have not been put on committee agendas by the Republican supermajority or signed into law.
But lawmakers did pass a bill that would expand the state’s childcare tax credit and clarify how providers are reimbursed.
Del. Bob Fehrenbacher, the bill’s sponsor, said the lack of childcare access for families has increasingly affected the state’s economy and workforce.
He said lawmakers are still trying to understand the true cost of providing childcare in the state and whether providers are being reimbursed enough to remain sustainable.
“And if there is a gap — and I expect there to be a gap — what do we do about that?” he said.