Early Childhood Education

​In 2020, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation released research on the lack of access to high-quality childcare and its impact on Idaho’s economy, and the results were staggering. In fact, roughly 40 percent of children in Idaho lack access to childcare, and many more cannot afford the cost of high-quality early childhood education. As a result, the state’s economy forgoes nearly half a billion dollars annually. Julia Barfield of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation joins us to share the details of this complex research project and to discuss the economic issue of quality childcare, its implications, and the solutions Idaho can take to better support its residents and growing community.