Elliot Haspel, Author at Early Learning Nation

The Child Care Sector Starts to Flex Its Muscles

Elliot Haspel·May 17, 2022·4 min read

Child care has traditionally been a politically quiet sector. I don’t mean there hasn’t been resolute advocacy, but that has largely (though certainly not entirely) happened behind the scenes -- at least in the U.S. there isn’t a long history of major public actions such as protests and strikes.

Against For-Profit Child Care Chains

Elliot Haspel·Apr 6, 2022·5 min read

The phrase “corporate child care” has always struck me as a bad joke, something that belongs more in a Boss Baby movie than as a substantial part of the U.S. child care landscape.

Opinion: Raising Child Care Ratios is a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Idea

Elliot Haspel·Mar 15, 2022·3 min read

One of “Aesop’s Fables” goes like this: “A group of pigeons, terrified by the appearance of a Kite, called upon...

States, Time to Step Up on Child Care

Elliot Haspel·Mar 1, 2022·8 min read

Elliot’s Provocations unpacks current events in the early learning world and explores how we can chart a path to a...

Companies, Stop Building On-Site Child Care Centers and Start Paying Your Taxes

Elliot Haspel·Feb 4, 2022·4 min read

Some companies are responding to the child care crisis in a somewhat predictable way: they’re looking after their own. Stories have been emerging about a proliferation of on-site child care programs; an NPR article a few weeks ago noted that

Beyond the Brain Science: Early Childhood Luminary Jack Shonkoff Calls For “ECD 2.0”

Elliot Haspel·Jan 27, 2022·3 min read

When Jack Shonkoff speaks, the early childhood field listens. Shonkoff, a pediatrician who leads Harvard’s Center on the Developing Child,...

New Year’s Resolutions for the Early Learning Community

Elliot Haspel·Jan 4, 2022·7 min read

2021 was a momentous year for early childhood care & education. The field suffered blow after blow from COVID and then a knock-on staffing crisis; received nearly $50 billion in rescue funds to temporarily patch the gaping leaks; and is ending the year on the precipice of receiving enough public funds through the Build Back Better Act to finally become a stable and healthy sector.

Build Back Better Helps, Not Hurts, Faith-Based Child Care

Critics are Overselling the Changes While Religious Programs Fight for Their Lives

Elliot Haspel·Dec 2, 2021·7 min read

While the investments in early care and education appear broadly safe, one unresolved design question concerns what should be required of child care programs operated by faith communities.