Why These Changes Matter

These recommendations aim to create avenues to support child care for student parents, since lack of child care access can impede their success in higher education. By strengthening federal funding and support and streamlining state-level policies, we can promote access to care for student parents.

Implementing policies in this agenda will support student parents. Solving the child care crisis in the United States, however, requires addressing larger-scale issues that affect the entire population, not just student parents. Child care is needed by families across the socioeconomic spectrum, and it should be approached within the framework of a universal right to early education. Workforce compensation, subsidies that cover the true cost of care, and regulatory frameworks that support quality and safety are all critical to building a robust child care infrastructure that serves all workers, students, and children.