Majority of Parents Want Mandatory Vaccination for Daycare Staff, New Survey Finds

NEW YORK, Aug. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- More than three-quarters (77%) of parents want mandatory vaccination for licensed daycare and preschool staff, and nearly half (49%) want mandatory masking for both staff and children ages 2+, according to a new survey released by Upfront, a financial platform for parents that helps them easily and seamlessly find the best daycare and preschool options for their budget. Upfront was created to bring pricing transparency to parent-related industries, with the first of those industries being daycares and preschools.

The national survey, which was conducted between July 21, 2021- August 5th, 2021, also found that the majority (59%) of parents are comfortable with sending their children back to daycare this fall. Additionally, 64% of parents with a higher HHI (>$75k) are more likely to feel comfortable sending their child back to daycare compared to 48% of parents with a lower HHI (<$75k).

As companies call workers back to the office and uncertainty grows with the spread of the Delta variant, parents are becoming increasingly uneasy about their daycare options. While an expanding number of corporations have announced vaccine mandates for employees, no such mandate exists for child care providers.

"Finding safe, affordable childcare was a challenge prior to the pandemic, and parents are now even more stressed out about their options," said Dana Levin-Robinson, CEO and co-founder of Upfront. "According to the Upfront survey, more than 70% of parents admitted that they were likely to pay more for reduced class sizes and mandatory masking. Many of these families have been without consistent childcare for over a year and are willing to pay more because they desperately need it"

Only 30% of parents are comfortable with quarantining for one week if their child shows at least one COVID-19 symptom. That number increases to 53% if their child is showing multiple COVID-19 symptoms. According to the survey:

• 72% of parents are willing to share the vaccination status of their household with a childcare facility
• 48% are willing to provide negative COVID-19 test results if their child is showing at least one COVID-19 symptom
• 44% support mandatory quarantine for families that travel

"It's clear that parents want to send their children back to daycare but they also want to see consistent protocols like mandatory vaccination and masking in place to ensure their children remain safe given they are too young to be vaccinated," said Shefali Shah, Chief Commercial Officer and co-founder of Upfront. "Unfortunately parents are also being confronted with daycares shutting down for two weeks due to potential COVID-19 exposure, leading to unreliable child care even when they are paying for it," added Shah.

Founded by two moms, Upfront was created to provide pricing transparency for parent-related industries. The company launched in October 2020, with a focus on daycares and preschools, after the founders discovered fewer than 6% of childcare prices were publicly available and searchable. With Upfront, parents can easily and seamlessly find the best options in their budget.

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Methodology:
The Upfront national survey about childcare was conducted between Jul 21, 2021 - August 5th, 2021 with 706 respondents. Respondents were screened for parental status (at least one child).

About Upfront
Upfront (allupfront.com) is the financial resource for parents who want to make the best decisions for their families. By bringing pricing transparency to parent-related industries, with the first being daycares and preschools, Upfront makes prices public and searchable so parents can easily find the best options in their budget quickly and seamlessly. Learn more about Upfront at allupfront.com or follow Upfront on Instagram, Linkedin, and Facebook.

Media Contact

Alissa Neil, Upfront, +1 917-328-4889, [email protected]

SOURCE Upfront

Related Links

http://allupfront.com