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 to fill gaps or provide consistent, ongoing coverage and as a result, they allowed programs to deliver high-quality care to our youngest population.

We wanted to take 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.

If you want a deeper look at what the data itself reveals, we break that down further in

👉 What Real Shift Data Tells Us About the Child Care Workforce

Why We Created This Report

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

We explore this tension specifically in

👉 Why Passion Alone Can’t Sustain the Child Care Workforce

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

We expand on this reality in

👉 There’s No One Way Educators Work in Child Care

In-Center Experience Determines Retention

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

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.

We dive deeper into this in

👉 What Happens Inside the Classroom Determines Whether Educators Return

And explore what strong first impressions look like in

👉 How to Set Up New Teachers for Success on Day One

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 sits at the center of the workforce conversation.

Continuity, Connection, and Long-Term Commitment

Substitute staffing is often misunderstood as a lack of consistency.

Educators told us a different story.

For many, substitute work is not about one-off shifts. It is about returning to the same programs, building familiarity in classrooms, and forming relationships with children and staff. When centers are welcoming, organized, and clear in their expectations, educators are far more likely to return consistently.

Over time, that consistency builds trust - for children, for teams, and for programs relying on stable staffing - and often creates a natural pathway to permanent hiring, allowing both educators and centers to assess fit before committing long term.

We explore this dynamic in the following blog post:

👉 Turning Substitute Shifts Into Lasting Connections

👉 What Educators Need From Centers: A Recipe for Commitment