A Growing Industry

A Bright Future

• A recent survey by the U.S. Department of Education shows that 13 million children under the age of six are enrolled in child care, making it one of the fastest growing service industries in the country.*
• According to the U.S. Department of Labor, center-based child care should continue to expand its share of the industry because an increasing number of parents prefer its more formal setting and believe that it provides a better foundation for children before they begin traditional schooling.**

* U.S. Department of Education Survey, 2004.
** Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Career Guide to Industries, 2008-09 Edition

• The Primrose system revenue in 2007 was over $230 million.
• As a leader in the industry, Primrose tuition is premium priced. Parents place a high value on the Primrose philosophy and demand among parents continues to grow.
• As a result of our ongoing focus on quality, Primrose now has over 200 locations operating in fifteen states, including Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, Alabama, Colorado, Kansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Arizona, Missouri, Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio, and Oklahoma.

• A generation ago, most mothers of young children spent their days at home with their children: in 1975, only two out of every five mothers with a child younger than six held a paid job. (http://www.cepr.net/publications/child_care_2004.pdf)
• Today, nearly two-thirds of mothers with young children have jobs (Bureau of Labor Statistics 2002) and nearly three-out-of-four employed mothers work more than 30 hours per week. (http://www.cepr.net/publications/child_care_2004.pdf)
• Mothers who have stable child care are more likely to stay employed and are able to focus on their jobs, knowing that their children are well-cared for while they are at work. (http://www.cepr.net/publications/child_care_2004.pdf)
• Over half of mothers of children under the age of six are employed—three-quarters of employed mothers worked 30 hours per week or more—and nearly all of this group—over 90 percent—reported using some kind of child care. (http://www.cepr.net/publications/child_care_2004.pdf)
• 65% of mothers with children under six and 79% of mothers with children 6-13 are in the labor force. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/DocServer/child_care
  _basics_2005.pdf)
• Every day, 13 million preschoolers – including six million infants and toddlers – are in child care. This is three out of five young children. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?
  pagename=research_national_data_child_care_basics)
• About 80% of children ages 5 and younger with employed mothers are in a child care arrangement for an average of almost 40 hours per week. (http://www.fcce.org/PageServer.php/about_us/stats.htm)
• Of all kindergarten teachers, 46 percent report that one half or more of their class have specific problems when entering kindergarten, including difficulty following directions, lack of academic skills, problems in their situations at home, and/or difficulty working independently. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/DocServer/quality_child
  _care.pdf?docID=794)
• Children in poor-quality child care are found to be delayed in language and reading skills and to display more aggression toward other children and adults. (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/DocServer/
  child_care_basics_2005.pdf?docID=282)
• The cost of a child-care center, the most common form of non-family care, rose 3.2% last year to an average $585 a month for a 3-year-old, according to a 140-city survey by Runzheimer. (http://www.careerjournal.com/columnists/workfamily/
  20041022-workfamily.html)
• Children who are enrolled in high quality programs are: less likely to participate in at-risk behaviors as teens, less dependent on government programs as a primary source of income, have a lower rate of unemployment and show potential for higher lifetime earnings. (http://www.fcce.org/PageServer.php/about_us/stats.htm)
• School-age children's academic performance is enhanced by attending formal child care programs of at least adequate quality, according to several studies. Children attending such programs have been found to have better work habits and relationships with peers, and to be better adjusted and less antisocial, than children who spend their out-of-school hours alone, in front of the television, or informally supervised by other adults.
  (http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/PageServer?
  pagename=research_national_data_child_care_basics)