The serious issues surrounding child care are starting to catch attention across the nation — and rightfully so. This new and thorough five-part series from WTOP (“Child Care Crisis”) depicts the struggles faced by families, child care providers, employers and the entire workforce right here in the District of Columbia. And it reinforces the reasons why the Birth-to-Three Policy Alliance exists.
Highlighting the Foundation’s investment and three of our partners (DC Appleseed, DC Action for Children and the Office of the State Superintendent of Education), this series explains why attaining affordable, convenient and quality child care presents many challenges on multiple levels — and how the current system, as the first article’s title candidly states, “really isn’t working for anybody.”
We believe all child care providers need to be paid what they deserve, all parents should be able to access and afford quality care for their children, and ultimately, all children should receive the resources and support they need to succeed.
“We’ve decided as a society that (school) is a public good — that it’s the kind of society we want to be, that’s the kind of future we want to give to our kids to have them all well-educated and that’s worth our investment. And it’s time that we looked at 0-to-5 in that same way.”
— Brigid Schulte, Director of Better Life Lab and the Good Life Initiative
