The childcare crisis is a talent crisis for credit unions

My credit union story started on the teller line, as many of ours do.

As a young, single mom, I dedicated myself to the 9-to-5 grind to provide structure and stability at home. Like many working mothers on the front lines, my schedule left little room for flexibility, but I was captivated by the mission and deeply committed to providing for my son, which meant continuing to serve the members I held close to my heart.

That passion and strong desire to build my career within the credit union movement translated into a full-time daycare bill that nearly doubled my rent.

I was living in the same narrow space many working mothers know too well: Earning enough to disqualify me from support programs, but not enough to build savings or prepare for the unexpected moments that life inevitably brings.

I remember doing the math more than once and wondering if staying in the workforce actually made financial sense.

I know I was not the only working mother in the credit union movement doing that calculation.

My story is personal, but it is far from unique.

Across the country, working mothers face the same calculation I once did, forfeiting most of their paycheck to childcare while committing to rigid work schedules to provide stability and balance caregiving responsibilities.

It all leads back to the same question many working mothers ask themselves: Is this really worth it?

In many cases, the answer becomes no. Women exit the workforce, relinquishing their career ambitions simply to survive and put money back into their families’ pockets.

Recent labor force data underscores just how significant this shift has become. According to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics jobs report, 91,000 women left the labor force in a single month, while 10,000 men joined it, a disparity highlighted by Forbes. This data points to something larger than individual career decisions. For many working mothers, stepping away from work is not about ambition or capability, but sustainability.

Childcare is a major factor. Child Care Aware of America reports the national average annual cost of childcare in 2024 was $13,128 per child. When the cost of care rivals housing expenses, remaining in the workforce becomes a financial equation many families struggle to balance. What begins as an individual decision quickly becomes a broader workforce challenge.

For credit unions, that question is more than philosophical. It is operational.

Credit unions continue to navigate talent challenges, especially on the front lines, where turnover is high, and many roles are held by women. For many in our movement, those frontline positions are where leadership journeys begin. Many of those future leaders are also working mothers, and we cannot talk about retaining talent without acknowledging the realities working mothers face.

Without intentional support, we risk losing talented women before they ever have the opportunity to grow into the leaders our movement needs.

When working mothers leave the workforce, organizations lose experience, perspective, and future leaders who could help shape the direction of the organization.

The credit union movement is built on the philosophy of people helping people. Supporting working mothers is an opportunity to apply that same mindset internally because the question is not whether working mothers want to contribute, grow, and lead, but whether the systems we have built make it possible.

If we want to retain talented women and strengthen the future leadership of our movement, we must start thinking differently about how the workplace is structured for working parents.

For many credit unions, this begins with recognizing that traditional workplace expectations were not designed with caregiving responsibilities in mind. Rigid schedules, limited flexibility, and the rising cost of childcare can create barriers that make it difficult for working mothers to remain in the workforce long enough to grow into leadership roles.

Without lowering expectations or reducing accountability, credit unions can design systems that enable talented employees to stay, develop, and lead. This might include exploring childcare partnerships or dependent care benefits that alleviate the financial burden families face. It may mean reevaluating scheduling structures, even on the front lines, to create greater flexibility while maintaining strong member service.

Support through leadership development programs designed for working parents, along with intentional succession planning that recognizes diverse career paths, allows organizations to retain talented employees who might otherwise feel forced to step away.

These steps help build organizations that support the realities of modern families and increase the likelihood that employees stay, grow, and contribute their full potential.

My journey in the credit union movement began on the teller line as a young working mother trying to balance purpose and survival. Today, I have the privilege of working with credit union leaders across the country who are thinking deeply about the future of their organizations and the people who power them.

What I have seen time and again is this: Credit unions care deeply about their employees. The intent is there. The structure is not. By examining how we support working parents through policies, benefits, leadership development opportunities, and succession planning, we can support caregivers at work.

At Humanidei, our work sits at the intersection of people strategy and leadership development. We partner with organizations to strengthen leadership pipelines, design more equitable workplaces, and ensure that talented employees are not overlooked or lost simply because the system was not built with them in mind.

The credit union movement has always been about people helping people. Supporting working mothers is simply an extension of that mission.

When we create workplaces where working parents can stay, grow, and lead, we strengthen the future of our credit unions and the movement itself.