US States News, February 6, 2007, Tuesday
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US States News
HEADLINE: BUFFALO CHILD CARE REALLY DOES MEAN BUSINESS, CORNELL INDUSTRIAL AND LABOR RELATIONS STUDY SHOWS
BYLINE: US States News
DATELINE: ITHACA, N.Y.
BODY:
The Cornell University College of Industrial and Labor Relations issued the following news release:
Women make up more than half the workforce in downtown Buffalo, N.Y. And a high percentage of the city's employees in the urban core work part time - often because of child-care needs. That makes child care a priority if recent efforts to restore the "Queen City" of the Empire State to its former regal status are to fully succeed, according to a Cornell study, "Buffalo Child Care Means Business."
"Investments in high-quality child care and early-childhood education do more than just pay significant returns to children and their families," says Lou Jean Fleron, director of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations' (ILR) Workforce, Industry and Economic Development (WIED) unit in Buffalo, and co-author of the new study. "They also benefit taxpayers, profit employers and employees, and enhance the economic vitality of communities."
The WIED study includes data from a spring 2006 Cornell Survey Research Institute telephone survey of chief operating officers or human resource directors of 117 Buffalo-area employers. The survey queried small, medium and large businesses from both public and private sectors. Over half of those surveyed expect growth in their workforce over the next five years, while less than 5 percent predicted fewer employees. Projected growth in downtown employment highlights the need to provide quality child care and education as part of the infrastructure for economic development, Fleron said.
The study also measured the costs to children, families and the local community from the lack of adequate and affordable quality child care.
Arts and Entertainment: Another ILR economic development focus
The New York arts and entertainment industry generates more than $38 billion - or about 5 percent of the state's private-sector revenues. On Friday, Feb. 9, Cornell researchers with the ILR's Workforce, Industry and Economic Development (WIED) unit will present a public release of a two-year study, "New York's Big Picture: Assessing New York's Position in Film, Television and Commercial Production." The event will be held from 8 to 10 a.m. at the Cornell WIED offices, 237 Main St., Suite 1200, Buffalo.
This is the first of several public policy forums funded by a grant to Cornell from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. Forum speakers include Cornell faculty and arts, media and entertainment professionals, and public officials. For more information, contact Susan Swarts, at (716) 852-4191.
Other highlights from the survey: In Buffalo, women make up 58 percent of the workforce in small and medium businesses and 55 percent of the workforce for larger employers. Part-time workers account for 18 percent of the workforce for small and medium businesses; 19 percent for large employers. Ninety-seven percent of all downtown businesses reported no employees lacking a high school diploma - a striking fact in light of statistics showing a 62 percent high school graduation rate for youth in Buffalo public schools.
The template for the WIED study is based on prior national research conducted by Mildred Warner, Cornell associate professor of development sociology in the Department of City and Regional Planning, a department that has assisted in about 70 such studies across the country.
"The unique thing about this study was the close collaboration with the Buffalo health-care sector and the survey of employees," said Warner, a national expert on the importance of child care for regional economic development. "It is rare a study can go that deep. This is my first collaboration with the [WIED] group, and I am very impressed with their work."
Fleron co-authored the research with University of Buffalo Law School faculty member Lauren Breen and graduate student Daniel Dimitrov, in collaboration with the Child Care Resource Network, the United Way of Buffalo and the Erie County Success by 6 group. The John R. Oishei Foundation funded the research. Initially meant to address specific concerns about child care at Buffalo's medical campus, the study grew into a broader partnership, reflecting shared interests in the welfare of Buffalo's children and downtown economic revitalization, Fleron said.
"We found that employers recognize the impact of child-care issues on the performance and careers of their employees, reporting a moderate to great impact on absenteeism for nearly one-fourth of their workforces," she said. "The purpose of the report is to improve the situation with practical recommendations for action. As more young people move downtown, developers and businesses see improved child care as a necessity, not a perk."
According to 2005 Census data, 20 percent of Buffalo residents age 25 and over do not have a high school diploma or equivalency. Based on national statistics and the Buffalo School District's estimates, 976 students failed to graduate with the Buffalo Class of 2004 and will forego $253 million in earnings over their lifetimes.
In 2005, 27 percent of Buffalo residents and 38 percent of children under 18 lived below the poverty level. Median household income in Buffalo was $27,311, according to the U.S. Census. Nearly half of all 4-year-olds in the city of Buffalo who enter pre-K programs are "at risk" for academic failure, according to the Buffalo School District. National research shows that spending on quality early care reduces special education needs, yielding a return on such investments of 1.9 to 2.8 percent annually, said Fleron.
"When families can rely on quality child care, they are not only more productive employees, their children also succeed better in school and throughout life," she said.
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