The Workforce Behind the Workforce

Join Community Leaders

A Leadership Briefing for San Joaquin County
Wednesday May 6, 2026: 7:30–9:00 AM (Breakfast Meeting) at The Club in Adventist Health Arena.

What You Will Gain

This is not an awareness event or a funding request. It is a strategy session. Attendees will walk away understanding:
  • Local data on how childcare instability impacts workforce reliability
  • Insight into childcare supply gaps across San Joaquin County and how that’s effecting your business
  • Clear, actionable next steps 
Addressing childcare gaps is an economic strategy because when childcare works… we all work.
Register Today

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Featuring Speaker Ananda Sweet
CEO, Santa Rosa Metro Chamber

Event is proudly presented by:

Across the United States, childcare breakdowns cost employers an estimated...

$122 billion annually in absenteeism, turnover, and lost productivity.

While many leaders recognize the strain anecdotally, few have seen data specific to our region. 

What does childcare instability mean for workforce reliability in San Joaquin County?

This executive briefing brings together business and civic leaders to examine the data — and the opportunity.

Childcare is economic infrastructure.

When it falters, businesses absorb the impact.

The Case for Employer Engagement

Childcare instability directly affects operational performance across industries. Employers report: 
  • Increased absenteeism
  • Reduced employee hours
  • Delayed advancement into leadership roles
  • Higher turnover
  • Recruitment challenges in critical positions
At the same time, California families face one of the highest childcare costs in the nation. The result is a market misalignment that affects workforce participation and economic growth.

Over the past 18 months, the San Joaquin Children’s Alliance — in partnership with WorkNet, San Joaquin County of Education, San Joaquin Delta College and others — has conducted a comprehensive regional review of childcare and workforce dynamics.

This work includes:
  • Surveys of local employers and employees
  • Geographic mapping of childcare capacity gaps
  • Workforce development pathway review and pilot implemented
  • Identification of locally sourced solutions with measurable outcomes
This briefing will present region-specific findings and highlight areas where community leadership can make a meaningful difference.