The 2025 Child Care Workforce Report: What We’re Learning Directly From the Workforce

Every day, child care educators show up to keep classrooms open, support families, and care for children during their most important years of development.

They do this work because it matters.

But too often, the systems around them make that work harder than it needs to be.

In 2025, nearly 2,500 educators worked through Tandem across Ohio, Florida, Illinois, and North Carolina. They stepped into classrooms, filled gaps, and kept programs running when staffing fell short.

This year, we took a step back to look closely at what is actually happening inside the child care workforce. Not just what people say in theory, but what the data shows and what educators themselves shared when asked directly about their experiences.

The result is our 2025 Workforce Report, a comprehensive look at how educators are working today, what helps them stay in the field, and what gets in the way.

What Makes This Report Different

This report combines two powerful perspectives:

• Real-world platform data from educators actively working shifts through Tandem across four states
• Direct insights from child care educators, collected through multiple workforce surveys in 2025

Together, they tell a clearer story than either could alone.

One that reflects not just intention, but action.

Why We Created This Report

The child care workforce is often talked about, but rarely listened to in a structured way.

Staffing shortages are usually framed as a lack of educators. What our data continues to show is something more nuanced.

Educators are there.

They want to work.

But participation depends on conditions.

In fact:

• Over half of surveyed educators said flexibility made it easier to stay in child care
• 55% use child care work as their primary source of income
• 76% say they stay in the field because they love helping children learn and grow

As one educator shared:

“What keeps me in child care, even when it’s challenging, is knowing the powerful impact I have on a child’s early development. These early years are foundational.” – M.S., Cincinnati, OH

Purpose runs deep in this field.

But purpose alone does not remove barriers.

Flexibility, pay, support, respect, and systems all shape whether an educator can say yes to work and keep saying yes over time.

We created this report to:

• Elevate educator voice alongside real performance data
• Share patterns we are seeing across markets and programs
• Help centers, partners, and educators better understand what supports workforce stability

This is not a ranking of programs or a one-size-fits-all solution.

It is a snapshot of what is working, what is not, and where opportunity exists.

What the Data Shows So Far

While the full findings live inside the report, a few themes stand out clearly.

Educators Work in Many Different Ways

Some educators work full time. Others work part time, seasonally, or between permanent roles. Flexibility is not a perk for this workforce. It is what makes participation possible.

• 52% say flexibility and control over their schedule is the aspect of Tandem that helps them most
• 74% say flexibility made balancing work and personal life easier

“Tandem offers the flexibility I need as a single mom and full-time student. It allows me to earn income while doing what I love.” – D.B., Cleveland, OH

In-Center Experience Determines Retention

Educators return to programs where they feel respected, supported, and prepared for.

• 39.5% return because of respect and professionalism
• 37.4% cite supportive staff and leadership
• Only 43% say expectations are communicated well when they arrive

Disorganization and poor communication are among the fastest ways to lose trust.

Administrative Friction Limits Workforce Access

When onboarding, compliance, and credential tracking are confusing or repetitive, educators work less and programs struggle to fill classrooms.

• 97% say Tandem helped keep their documents and credentials organized
• 87% say having requirements tracked in one place is very helpful

These are not minor inconveniences. They are barriers that determine who can enter and stay in the field.

Passion Is Strong, but It Is Not Enough

Educators stay in child care because they care deeply about children. But purpose alone cannot overcome systems that make the work unsustainable.

“I love working with children, but having support, structure, and clear expectations is what makes it possible to keep doing this work.”

This balance between purpose and practicality is at the heart of the workforce conversation.

Who This Report Is For

This report was written for:

• Child care center directors and owners
• Early learning partners and community organizations
• Policymakers and workforce leaders
• Educators who want to see their experiences reflected in data

If you are thinking about how to:

• Improve retention
• Build a stronger substitute bench
• Create better experiences for educators
• Reduce last-minute staffing stress

This report is for you.

Read the Full 2025 Workforce Report

The full report includes:

• A 2025 workforce impact snapshot
• Platform data from real shifts worked
• Deep dives into how educators participate in the workforce
• What keeps educators in child care
• How educators choose and commit to programs
• What educators say they need to succeed

👉 Read the 2025 Workforce Report

🧸 Crib Notes

• Nearly 2,500 educators worked through Tandem in 2025 across four states
• The report combines real shift data with direct educator voice
• Flexibility, pay, respect, and support shape workforce participation
• In-center experience strongly influences whether educators return
• Administrative systems play a major role in workforce stability
• Listening to educators leads to better outcomes for programs and children

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