What Are Public-Private Child Care Partnerships?

A public-private partnership exists when the private sector-employers, philanthropy, civic groups, parents, and service providers-joins with the public sector-federal, state, and/or local officials and agencies-in pursuit of a common goal. The advantages to public-private partnerships are an increasingly viable and popular strategy for improving child care services.

In a public-private child care partnership partner’s work together toward common goals and objectives; each partner contributes time, money, expertise, and other resources; and decision-making responsibilities are shared among partners. Some of the bottom-line benefits to offering child care assistance are: recruiting and retaining employees, reduction of absenteeism and turnover, improvement of loyalty and productivity, and saving the employer money.