On Nov. 15, 2022, our CEO Lauren Small was featured in this article from Inside Business: Hampton Roads' Business Journal. Here is the beginning of the section where she is featured (there is more than shared here):
Child care is grappling with a workforce crisis much like other service industries, said Lauren Small, a certified business analyst with the Hampton Roads Small Business Development Center. The coronavirus pandemic highlighted deep systemic issues within the industry, including incredibly low wages for demanding and critical work. “There’s not going to be one solution,” Small said. “I think one of the most important things is for our business community to recognize that they need to be more engaged in child care; it’s part of our economic infrastructure.” Small, also owner of Early Education Business Consultants in Virginia Beach and executive director for the Hampton Roads Shared Services Alliance, said American Rescue Plan dollars given to child care providers during the pandemic put a Band-Aid of sorts on the problem. In Hampton Roads, she said the funding enabled them to pay bonuses to attract staff and give their existing staff higher pay.