SHREVEPORT, La. — The Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce has completed a yearlong study examining childcare supply and demand in Caddo Parish, concluding that staffing shortages, affordability challenges and limited operating hours are preventing available licensed capacity from meeting community needs.
The Caddo Parish Childcare Market Analysis was funded through a subgrant from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and conducted in partnership with the Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research at Louisiana State University Shreveport.
The research, conducted between November 2025 and March 2026, included surveys of licensed childcare providers, employers and parents of children ages 5 and younger, along with focus groups. The study sought to better understand how childcare availability affects workforce participation in a parish with one of Louisiana’s lowest labor force participation rates.
The report found that demand for childcare exceeds the amount of care that providers can realistically offer. Nearly 60% of providers surveyed reported having classrooms that remain closed because of staffing shortages, while 60.7% maintained active waitlists for families seeking care.
Infant care was identified as the area’s greatest need, with 64.3% of providers citing it as their highest-demand age group. Parents participating in the study also described infant care as the most difficult to secure before returning to work.
“This research confirms what many of our members have felt for years but couldn’t put numbers behind: childcare isn’t just a family issue, it’s a workforce and economic development issue,” said Dr. Timothy Magner, president of the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce. “With this data in hand, we can move past anecdote and start building the coordinated, system-level solutions our providers, employers, and families actually need.”
The study also found that employers recognize childcare as a workforce issue but have been slow to adopt support programs. According to the report, 71.4% of employers surveyed said childcare support improves employee morale, while 68.6% said it helps reduce absenteeism. However, only 14.3% currently provide childcare-related benefits or services.
Employers identified startup costs, ongoing operating expenses and regulatory requirements as the primary barriers to offering childcare support. More than half of respondents said they would consider partnering with other employers on shared childcare solutions, while 14.3% expressed interest in operating an on-site childcare center independently.
Parents surveyed cited childcare costs, inconsistent scheduling and lengthy waitlists as factors contributing to missed work, declined promotions and temporary departures from the workforce.
“What makes this study unique is that it looks at the full system at once, providers, employers, and families, rather than one piece in isolation,” said Dr. Heather Carpenter, professor and executive director of the Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research at Louisiana State University Shreveport. “That systems-level view is what allows the findings to translate into strategies that address root causes instead of symptoms.”
Based on its findings, the report recommends expanding and stabilizing the childcare workforce, aligning operating hours with employee work schedules, encouraging employer partnerships, improving affordability for families and recognizing childcare as critical economic infrastructure alongside housing, transportation and utilities.
The Greater Shreveport Chamber said it will share the findings with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The full Caddo Parish Childcare Market Analysis is available upon request from the chamber.