From 2024 to 2025, four Georgia cities — Albany, Augusta, Columbus, and Savannah — participated in a child care cohort with the Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) to explore how cities can better understand and address local child care challenges. Dr. Shelly Masur, Vice President of Advisory and State Policy for Early Care and Education at LIIF led the effort. In this Q&A, she discusses why child care is essential to a city’s economic vitality and why local leaders should view it as core infrastructure.
From your perspective, why should city governments think of child care as core infrastructure, on the same level as roads or water systems?
Child care is an economic driver from multiple perspectives. It allows families to work, and it employs caregivers. In many cases, these are people running small businesses that contribute to the economy in multiple ways. When we invest in this type of backbone infrastructure, we’re investing in our communities.
What do you see as the biggest economic impacts for cities when there just isn’t enough affordable child care available?
Multiple studies have shown the economic impact of a lack of access to child care. For example, ReadyNation’s 2023 study found a national impact of $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity, and revenue due to the lack of access to care for children ages birth to three.
That national impact is felt locally when families can’t go to work and businesses can’t hire or retain workers. A recent local study in Georgia, conducted by LIIF, found that businesses understand their employees need child care. And they benefit when that care is available.
Cities don’t typically fund child care directly, but they do have influence. What are some of the most effective ways you’ve seen local governments make a difference in expanding access?
Cities set the policies that impact the ability of child care providers to operate and expand in their communities. Through zoning and fee policies, as well as coordination, cities can effectively support building the supply of child care. For example, in Albany, the city published a guide for child care providers who want to operate there. Savannah is reviewing all its zoning policies that affect child care, while in Columbus, the city examined its transit routes to see how they intersect with the locations of child care businesses.
There are also key steps cities can take to make it easier for child care providers to operate. First, ensure local regulations align with state child care licensing requirements, especially fire codes. Second, allow child care businesses to be approved by-right or administratively in designated zones. For example, in Oklahoma, state law allows family child care to operate at licensed capacity without additional municipal oversight; recognizing that state licensing is rigorous and that extra local rules can create barriers for providers. Third, review local fee structures and consider reducing or eliminating fees for child care businesses. Some cities charge business license fees based on the number of children served, which discourages expansion, while others have waived fire inspection fees or removed fees tied to conditional-use permits by eliminating that process altogether.
You’ve been both an elected city official and a leader in this child care work. How do you explain to fellow city leaders that this isn’t just a family issue, but a workforce and business issue too?
As a city councilmember, child care was one of my highest priorities, along with housing and good wages. My colleagues and I knew that for our city to thrive, families needed to thrive, and having access to child care was an essential piece of that puzzle.
When I talk to city councilmembers, I focus on this interconnected set of family needs that also support our businesses and, by extension, our local economy. The cost of care has risen so much that many families are now paying more for child care than for their mortgage or rent. A recent analysis found that families living in Savannah with two children under five must earn nearly $97,000 per year just to break even.
Local elected officials understand that they can take action to support both businesses and families, so their communities are thriving and vibrant. When they have the right tools, I find they’re eager to use them.
Thinking back on the four-city Georgia cohort, what lessons or takeaways do you think could be especially useful for other cities considering how to get involved?
One of the most valuable aspects of the cohort was the opportunity for cities to connect and learn from each other. We intentionally included a diverse set of cities so each could hear what their colleagues were doing and consider how to adopt some of those strategies.
Another key element was convening cross-sector groups and including business leaders, child care providers, economic development, housing, transportation, and staff from multiple city departments. This approach proved invaluable because it created a network of partners who could share insights, help implement plans, and stay invested in success.
Finally, the cohort cities came with open minds. They had ideas but were willing to consider what else could be done. They benefitted from a structure that encouraged them to examine affordability, availability, accessibility, and the adequacy of physical infrastructure, as well as conduct a zoning review, all while taking the time to think and plan.
When cities give themselves the space to learn, plan, and act, they can make a real difference in the lives of the people they serve and in the overall health of their communities.
Resources
City Playbook for Child Care (June 18, 2025)
Dashboard: Child Care Supply and Demand in the State of Georgia