Local business and government leaders have enthusiastically supported the Downtown Santa Barbara Employee Child Care Survey project. At the Kick Off meeting, Supervisor, Salud Carbajal spoke about how child care continues to be an issue for Santa Barbara County and underscored the need to create new solutions. He stated, “This survey has the ability to provide direction on how to improve our community. It is an opportunity for us to come together and achieve a better understanding of potential solutions that will benefit our employers, working parents and their children.”
City Councilmember Roger Horton stated, “The importance of this survey cannot be overstated. We need resources to address employee child care needs and this survey is about the only tool I know of that will help us secure the resources we need. This is the kind of data that policy makers need. Child care satisfaction is a key factor in the success of businesses. I want us to all get behind the survey because it will give us the power that we need to push this project forward.”
Steve Cushman, president of Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce, emphasized how child care affects the crucial balance between work and life issues. He highlighted the necessity for employers to examine the impacts child care has on employee productivity, retention, and absenteeism.
