JAMESTOWN, N.D. (Prairie News Service) – A new report says affordable and accessible child care remains an issue for North Dakota families.

It’s prompting calls for state leaders to build up capacity, so parents can stay in the workforce. KIDS Count, which documents child-well being, says 14 North Dakota counties meet less than 60-percent of the child-care demand for working families. The report also notes the average yearly child-care cost for families around the state is equal to in-state tuition at a public university.

KIDS Count coordinator Xanna Burg says if parents still face this dilemma after the pandemic ends, North Dakota’s economy could suffer.

The report suggests the state take the 76-million dollars it received for child-care needs under the American Rescue Plan and issue grants to provide more stability for businesses. That includes adding capacity for new or existing child-care centers, and boosting pay for child-care workers. Polls indicate stronger public investments in this area have seen bipartisan support in recent years.

Jessica Haak, a board member with the North Dakota Women’s Network, says she and her husband had to rearrange their work schedules to look after their newborn twins a few years ago. They now spend 15-thousand dollars to send them to preschool to meet the family’s care priorities. Haak, a former legislator, agrees better infrastructure could mean fewer tough decisions for families.

North Dakota care providers, who are joining calls for stronger investments, say they struggle to keep annual costs down for families and retain workers. The extra funding under the American Rescue Plan is available over the next few years.

Report authors say that gives the state time to come up with a long-term solution to build child-care capacity.