EO Annual Report

Affordable Childcare: The Key to Workforce Participation

For parents of young children, returning to the workforce can seem daunting, and in some cases financially impossible. This was the situation for Kelsey Hodges, a Registered Nurse at Johnston Memorial Hosptial, after having her two kids. Hodges, who currently has a 4-year-old and a 3-year-old, was able to take two years off from work to stay home with her children. However, she eventually found herself ready to return to nursing.

The average family would spend $50,000 on childcare in the first five years of their child’s life.

“It was hard to justify me leaving the home to go back to work just because of how costly it was going to be for two kids,” she explained. Unfortunately, Hodges isn’t alone in this struggle. According to EO’s 2025 Childcare Lanscape Report, in Southwest Virginia, 67% of children aged 0 to 5 have all available parents in the workforce, and there are only enough childcare slots to serve 80% of them.

“I missed being a nurse,” she said. “I missed being able to take care of my patients.”

However, one major hurdle stood in her way: finding access to affordable and quality childcare for her children.