Fixing Childcare in America

Excerpt from:

Fixing Child Care in America
By Jill Anderson, Harvard Graduate School of Education, October 17, 2024

"Raising A Nation: 10 Reasons Every American Has a Stake in Child Care for All" by Elliot Haspel is a compelling call to action that reframes child care not as a private family issue, but as a national imperative. Haspel, a leading voice in early childhood policy, argues that the United States is facing a child care crisis that affects every American—regardless of whether they have children—because of its deep ties to economic stability, gender equity, and societal well-being.

The book outlines ten core reasons why universal child care should be a shared national priority. These include its impact on workforce participation (especially for women), child development, economic productivity, and even national security. Haspel draws on historical context, such as the failure of the Comprehensive Child Development Act in the 1970s, to show how political missteps and cultural attitudes have prevented the U.S. from treating child care as a public good—akin to public education or infrastructure. One of the book’s central arguments is that child care should be seen as a right, not a privilege.

Do you want to know more? Read Fixing Childcare in America - Harvard Graduate School of Education.

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