Cedar Rapids Gazette: In a state in need of more workers, women continue to face a major hurdle in the shortage of child care options. Research gathered by Coralville-based Iowa Women’s Foundation and its partners shows that lack of child care options is a major inhibiting factor for women who want to fill one of those vacant roles, especially for households with two working parents or those struggling to make ends meet. The data is shocking — research shows 75 percent of Iowa households with children under the age of 6 have both parents working outside the home. Estimates show there are nearly 530,000 children up to the age of 12 in Iowa, while there are just over 165,000 available child care slots. That’s a shortfall of more than 350,000 slots, creating an average of 1 in 2 children without access to affordable child care.