A yearlong study commissioned by the Greater Shreveport Chamber of Commerce found that demand for childcare in Caddo Parish exceeds the available functional supply, with staffing shortages, affordability and limited operating hours preventing many families from accessing care.
The Caddo Parish Childcare Market Analysis examined the supply and demand for early childhood education across the parish. The project 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. Research took place between November 2025 and March 2026.
According to the report, Caddo Parish has one of the lowest workforce participation rates in Louisiana, and researchers sought to determine whether childcare accessibility and affordability were contributing factors keeping parents, particularly women, out of the workforce.
Researchers surveyed licensed childcare providers, employers across multiple industries and parents of children ages 5 and younger. The study also included focus groups and guidance from a local advisory committee.
The findings showed that nearly 60% of childcare providers have vacant classrooms they cannot open because of staffing shortages, while 60.7% maintain active waitlists. Infant care was identified as the greatest area of demand, with 64.3% of providers citing it as their highest-demand age group. Parents 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. “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 report also found that while 71.4% of employers believe childcare support improves employee morale and 68.6% believe it reduces absenteeism, only 14.3% currently offer childcare assistance. Employers identified startup costs, ongoing operating expenses and regulatory requirements as the primary barriers to providing support. More than half, 54.3%, expressed interest in partnering with other employers on childcare solutions, while 14.3% said they would consider operating an on-site childcare center independently. Parents reported childcare costs, unreliable scheduling and lengthy waitlists contributed 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, Institute for Nonprofit Administration and Research program at LSUS, who collaborated on the study with Dr. Noor. “That systems-level view is what allows the findings to translate into strategies that address root causes instead of symptoms.”
Based on the findings, the report recommends five priorities for the region: strengthening the childcare workforce through compensation and training, aligning childcare hours with workforce schedules, encouraging shared employer investment models, improving affordability and predictability for families, and recognizing childcare as part of the region’s economic infrastructure alongside housing, transportation and utilities.
The Greater Shreveport Chamber said it will share the report with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The complete Comprehensive Child Care Market Analysis is available upon request from the Chamber.
