Child care-related challenges exact a significant toll on Orange County companies and the overall economy, along with a staggering personal and financial toll on families with young children, who far too often must choose between continuing to work or abandoning their careers to care for their children, according to a newly released report that underscores the urgency of a targeted, ongoing community-wide focus on solving the crisis. Conducted by First 5 Orange County, the report found that more than 67,000 jobs, in Orange County alone, are lost annually due to unrelenting disruptions and gaps in child care, resulting in a $4.3 billion hit to the county’s economy in lost productivity and wages. Meanwhile, the county loses out on another $372 million annually in tax revenues that are lost due to the crisis, according to the report, “Child Care and its Impact on Orange County’s Economy.” (author abstract)