MINERAL RIDGE — When it comes to addressing child care expenses and other critical facets of everyday life for many, the government too often adopts “Herman Munster syndrome,” an expert in children and youth needs contends.

“Accessible, affordable child care is necessary to support the workforce to provide economic viability for children, families and the state of Ohio,” said Joel Potts, the Columbus-based Ohio Department of Children and Youth’s chief government and external affairs officer.

Potts was referring to the lovable main character in the popular mid-1960s sitcom “The Munsters,” in which a family of benign and kindhearted monsters often and unwittingly scared people with their looks, yet were naïve about the reasons for the reactions that were generated. Likewise, government officials’ responses to child care challenges are often data driven, but too simple and ingenuous, he explained.

Potts was among the community and agency leaders who made remarks during a workshop and breakfast Wednesday morning at The Atrium at the Alta Campus of Care, 1960 County Line Road, to address child care-related challenges and their effects on family structures, the business community and the workforce as a whole.

In addition, he discussed a Department of Children and Youth Early Care and Education Business Partnership grant that can ease financial burdens.

The two-hour program, “The Landscape of Child Care in the Mahoning Valley,” brought together about 100 health care professionals, community leaders and others. The breakfast also showcased the partnership the Early Childhood Resource Center has with the Youngstown / Warren Regional Chamber, PNC Bank and Goodwill Industries Inc., all of whom are collaborating to tackle the problem.

Potts cited a recent survey showing that nearly half of Ohio parents say they had to reduce their work hours to care for their young children, and that 44% of them had to miss work, leave early or lose focus because of challenges associated with child care. The survey also found that 61% of Ohio mothers who do not work full time but have children age 5 and under say they would return to work if child care was more affordable and accessible.

An overview Potts presented of the early care and education business partnership stated the importance of public-private partnerships between businesses, early care and education programs and nonprofit agencies working together, flexible models that meet the diverse needs of families and businesses in their communities, and innovative approaches to expanding and increasing access to quality child care.

Key goals of this approach are to increase employee attendance and productivity, with reduced turnover for businesses; enhanced access for working families to high quality child care; and greater financial stability with lower turnover rates for early care and education programs, Potts noted.

The grant can be used to support children birth to school age, with the Department of Children and Youth offering partial funding. Business partners will provide funds for expansion, with an increase in the second year, he said, adding that money will be available through Dec. 31, 2026.

Brenda J. Linert, the Regional Chamber’s director of community impact, cited a community needs assessment that showed the Mahoning Valley is 6% behind the rest of the state in workforce participation. Child care challenges were a top contributor to the lag, she said.

Such difficulties also have been costly to Ohio. Specifically, the state’s economy sees an annual $5.48 billion loss, including $1.52 billion in lost income tax revenue and about $3.97 billion lost largely because of new training and absenteeism, Linert noted.

In the past six months, the trends for many parents were “unorthodox” work hours, along with having to settle for part-time hours, alternating work hours with spouses and taking paid or unpaid leave, she continued.

Solutions she mentioned included offering government subsidies and tax credits, working remotely more frequently, having flexible work hours, providing child care vouchers and establishing more Head Start and Early Head Start programs. Nevertheless, these aren’t always available to everyone, Linert said.

Also, the Chamber supports Ohio Senate Bill 32, she said.

The legislation would create a cost-sharing child care model through the Child Care Cred program, which the Ohio Department of Children and Youth would administer. The program, operated on a first-come, first-served basis, would use $10 million in state funding to assist employers with offsetting their employees’ child care expenses.

Carol Holmes-Chambers, Goodwill Industries’ community solutions director, noted that, besides child care, the top barriers to workforce development often are a lack of transportation, mental health challenges, drug and substance abuse and poor housing.

These are the same hardships many in the health care sector face, she added.

In addition, the Early Care and Education Business Partnership grant would help businesses with improved employment attendance and productivity, greater access to reliable child care meeting families’ schedules and better allow child care programs to see increased financial stability with lower turnover rates, Maria Spencer, the Early Childhood Resource Center’s director of early care and education services, noted.

The ECRC’s primary mission is to promote young children’s healthy development via strengthening families, improving the quality of early learning experiences, increasing school readiness and informing public policy, Spencer said.

The ECRC, which serves Trumbull, Mahoning, Stark, Portage, Summit and Medina counties, provides administrative business support and leadership development, workforce recruitment and retention, child care referrals and fatherhood services, she added.

Highlighting the need for such offerings is that about 17% of Trumbull County residents live in poverty. A family with two children in the county who makes the median family income of $53,220 would have to spend 64% of their income on child care, because the combined cost of infant and preschool-age care is about $34,255, Spencer said.

The numbers for Mahoning County are similar to Trumbull County’s figures. The median family income is $54,473, and the combined infant and preschool-age care cost is $34,255, which is 63% of their income, she said.