The 2026 Child Care Business Trends Report from Procare Solutions identifies the four biggest challenges early childhood educators face today: hiring and retaining staff, enrollment management, limited public funding and professional development. 

Drawing on the responses of nearly 5,000 ECE professionals and data from more than 40,000 child care organizations, the report illustrates the obstacles various programs face and how the right tools can help! Follow along for a closer look at each challenge and how Procare empowers providers to overcome them.

Staffing remains the biggest challenge for child care providers, with 53% of leaders identifying it as their main concern. Staffing challenges, including high turnover and burnout, have a huge impact on centers. From the disruption of classroom consistency to the increased workload on remaining staff, these factors ultimately affect the quality of care in your center. 

Educators must juggle teaching, caregiving, documentation, communication and classroom management. With all the responsibilities on their plate, it is no surprise that 79% of teachers say child care software saves them valuable time.

Procare addresses these pain points by simplifying daily tasks, such as attendance tracking, incident reporting, documentation and communication with families. It also offers state-aligned curriculum resources to support learning. By reducing administrative tasks, Procare helps educators focus on what truly matters, the children. This shift in focus supports stronger job satisfaction and improves staff retention.enrollmen

Enrollment is fundamental to a center’s financial stability, yet 44% of programs identify it as a top challenge. According to the report, 41% of programs are under capacity, reflecting a steady increase over the past three years. 

While some centers struggle to fill seats, others face the opposite problem. 52% of people reported to have achieved full capacity, and 7% are over capacity. These centers must find a balance between maintaining their full roasters and managing waitlists without exceeding their capacity. 

The wide range of enrollment scenarios reiterates the need for predictable, efficient systems that help centers maintain consistency despite fluctuations in staffing, finances or community demands.

With Procare you can digitize every stage of the enrollment journey, from lead management and registration to forecasting. Real‑time insights into enrollment trends

Nearly 31% of child care leaders list limited public funding as a major concern. With financial support not keeping pace with rising costs or staffing needs, many centers are forced to delay hiring, reduce classroom improvements or postpone staff training.

Procare enhances financial resilience by centralizing billing, tuition collection and subsidy management into one unified platform. Providers can centralize billing, manage multiple subsidy types and track enrollment and revenue in one place. Automated workflows and built‑in reporting reduce errors and strengthen financial visibility, helping leaders navigate funding uncertainties.

Professional development is essential for quality care and strong retention, but many educators feel it is not easily attainable. 62% of teachers cite time as the biggest barrier, while 45% blame cost. Despite this, most educators say their training is both effective and relevant: 88% rate the quality positively, and 84% say it improves their teaching.

Procare Professional Development makes training more accessible and impactful. As an IACET Accredited Provider, Procare Solutions offers IACET CEUs for all Procare Professional Development courses. These programs streamline certification, strengthen instructional skills and create meaningful growth opportunities for teachers, all at their own pace.

The 2026 Child Care Business Trends Report by Procare Solutions shows that programs with strong operational systems, reliable financial tools and efficient communication solutions are better positioned to thrive in today’s challenging climate. And Procare helps providers do exactly that. By reducing manual work, improving visibility across daily operations and empowering educators with the tools they need, Procare enables centers to confidently overcome each of these challenges!