In episode 98, Coffey talks with Katie Ferrier about the US childcare crisis’ impact on business.

They discuss the Ready Nation Project; the infant/toddler childcare crisis and its effect on business; childcare access and affordability challenges; how the pandemic impacted childcare facilities; strategies and policies for employers can implement to help mitigate the childcare crisis; and the workforce value of investing in quality childcare.

Ready Nation’s report, $122 Billion: The Growing, Annual Cost of the Infant-Toddler Child Care Crisis can be found at https://www.strongnation.org/articles/2038-122-billion-the-growing-annual-cost-of-the-infant-toddler-child-care-crisis.

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About our Guest:

Katie Ferrier currently serves as VP of Education & Workforce Development at the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. In this role, Ferrier advocates for employers, educational institutions, and community-based organizations to strengthen the business climate and protect the region’s strong quality of life for our workforce.

She works to establish the San Antonio Chamber as an organization of shared ideas and information and makes introductions to encourage greater collaboration and collective solutions for the benefit of our region’s talent pipeline. She is currently building a model to expand work-based learning opportunities for students to stay in the region based on what she learned by establishing a network to shepherd students into policy internships with national nonprofits in Washington, DC. Katie has been named by the US Chamber of Commerce to their Business Leads Fellowship and is regularly invited to speak to national and state audiences.

Ferrier has decades of experience in policy development and implementation and in creating partnerships between the public and private sectors to impact under-resourced communities. Before joining the Chamber, Ferrier served as a consultant to nonprofit organizations and public officials, delivering a high-level view of their efforts and building connections between projects and other entities. Ferrier has worked as a legislative staffer in both chambers of the US Congress and served as a national representative in the Washington, DC offices of YMCA of the USA and Girl Scouts of the USA. She has also served state and local organizations in Austin, Texas including the Real Estate Council of Austin and the Texas Alliance of Child & Family Services. Ferrier has a B.A. from Texas Tech University and an M.A. in Policy Studies from Johns Hopkins University.

Katie Ferrier can be reached at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katieferrier/

About Mike Coffey:

Mike Coffey is an entrepreneur, human resources professional, licensed private investigator, and HR consultant.

In 1999, he founded Imperative, a background investigations firm helping risk-averse companies make well-informed decisions about the people they involve in their business.

Today, Imperative serves hundreds of businesses across the US and, through its PFC Caregiver & Household Screening brand, many more private estates, family offices, and personal service agencies.

Mike has been recognized as an Entrepreneur of Excellence and has twice been named HR Professional of the Year.

Additionally, Imperative has been named the Texas Association of Business’ small business of the year and is accredited by the Professional Background Screening Association.

Mike is a member of the Fort Worth chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and volunteers with the SHRM Texas State Council.

Mike maintains his certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) through the HR Certification Institute. He is also a SHRM Senior Certified Professional (SHRM-SCP).

Mike lives in Fort Worth with his very patient wife. He practices yoga and maintains a keto diet, about both of which he will gladly tell you way more than you want to know.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the impact of the childcare crisis on the workforce.

2. Implement strategies to help mitigate the childcare shortage.

3. Promote the workforce benefits of investing in quality childcare.