Key Takeaways

Key takeaways from our stories for this 2024 to 2025 cohort include:

• Major change in child care policy, and investment in child care infrastructure, is possible at the state and local level. Whether it is the Pre-K for All program in New York City or Act 76 in Vermont, or New Mexico’s opening of the Land Grant Permanent Fund to invest in child well-being, all of these efforts are spearheaded in ways that the results can be seen and felt locally and allow multiple stakeholders to come together to solve their local child care crises.
• Child care policy permeates all aspects of well-being, particularly for families of young children. Whether it is family child care providers who struggle to balance work and care at their homes where they provide service, or families looking for more time with their children and struggling to hold it together while starting a business, the way a child is cared for influences virtually every dimension of family dynamics and stability.
• Child care providers need urgent attention and solutions. Many are struggling to make ends meet and keep up with increased demands for care. Whether it’s accessing quality health coverage, responding to a disaster like wildfires in Los Angeles, or knowing with certainty that Head Start programs will receive full funding and jobs are secure, our child care policy will not fully stabilize until providers can make a livable wage with job security.
• Innovations are a powerful force in child care. Given the vast array of service providers and types of care, there is fertile ground for a variety of innovative methods to take hold. Whether it’s blending intergenerational caregivers with early childhood education, or teaching in Indigenous languages in Head Start programs on tribal lands, child care programs are as varied and innovative as any other sphere of our economy, and benefit from local input and investment.