Why is child care not considered a common good, like our public schools, fire departments, and roadways? If we did, we’d support millions of American families and offer them the relief they so desperately need. So, what’s stopping us from banding together to create an interest group like the AARP for parents? These are just some of the questions posed by Elliot Hapsel, an early childhood and K-12 education policy expert, a father of two, and author of Crawling Behind: America’s Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It. “We treat the early childhood years very differently than we treat the middle childhood and adolescent years, and that’s what animates the child care crisis,” he says. Elliot joins us to talk about child care in America and how the pandemic has dealt “a hammer blow to family stability,” squeezed already-strained child care providers, disrupted early childhood education, and pushed millions of women out of the labor force. Brighter days ahead are possible...if we make it happen. Because when parents get involved, organize, and take action, we have a real shot at fixing our broken care system.

Listen to this episode to learn:-Why finding and affording quality child care is so difficult – and was that way before the pandemic -change The role government, business, and parents can play in fixing our child care crisis-Why safety isn't necessarily the issue in reopening public schools, staffing is-How a “lost school year” affects students over the long-term, and how to approach your school district about providing mental health support and learning recovery programs -Why companies can’t solve the child care crisis on their own, but they can offer more flexible child care options to employees and help change the system for the greater good-Why the bipartisan idea of paying parents directly could help solve the child care crisis-was Resources for parents to advocate for change (check out ChildCareRelief.org to get involved)

For more information, visit https://elliothaspel.com/.