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12 <br /> ORANGE COUNTY <br /> CHILD CARE TASK FORCE <br /> BACKGROUND <br /> On November 29,2005,a special briefing for Orange County employers on the impact of child care <br /> on today's workforce was sponsored by the Orange County Board of Commissioners and other local <br /> organizations. The purpose of this briefing was to begin a community discussion about the current <br /> child care resources and the needs of children in our community. The briefing included information <br /> about the economic impact of child care on businesses and some of the options currently available to <br /> employers. Commissioners Foushee and Carey attended the briefing. At the end of the meeting, <br /> Commissioner Foushee recommended that the Board of Commissioners appoint a task force with <br /> broad representation including employers and charge the group with raising community awareness, <br /> encouraging greater financial participation by the private,business and public sectors in providing <br /> child care resources,and championing workplace support for children and families. <br /> During the BOCC annual retreat and work sessions,the Commissioners further discussed <br /> establishing a Task Force to study the various issues related to child care. The Commissioners <br /> indicated their interest and support for this concept and provided additional input about the purpose <br /> of the task force. <br /> Based on this information,the Commissioners established the Orange County Child Care Task <br /> Force. The following is the charge given to this task force. <br /> • To create community awareness of and support for the benefits of early childhood education <br /> • To increase private,business and public financial contributions for child care subsidies or <br /> scholarships <br /> • To improve workplace support for children and families <br /> The Task Force members include individuals representing university,business,child care providers, <br /> schools,non-profit,and local government interests.Attachment A is a list of those organizations and <br /> persons serving on the task force. <br /> INTRODUCTION <br /> This report provides a broad picture of the significant contribution that child care subsidies make to <br /> working families receiving them,to the children who benefit directly from the care,and to the <br /> economic well-being of the county as a whole. It also contains discussion of the issues examined, <br /> documents that describe the current resources and current needs for child care subsidies,and a <br /> description of the considerable economic advantage for both families and businesses that child care <br /> subsidies provide. Finally,this report provides recommendations for the BOCC on continuing to <br /> lead the way in providing affordable child care for Orange County residents. <br /> WHY IS CHILD CARE NECESSARY? <br /> Child care is an important and necessary part of the lives of most working families in Orange County. <br /> Parents or guardians may utilize child care for a variety of reasons.The parent(s)may work full or <br /> part-time,attend school,have an illness necessitating child supervision,or require a break from the <br /> 2 <br />