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The “Child Care For Working Families Act”: Transition Fuel for Universal Child Care (3-Part Series, Part 1)

Series: Which Path Forward?: Analyzing the Flurry of Federal Child Care Proposals

Elliot Haspel·Apr 28, 2021·8 min read

When I declared on this site a few months back that “The Era of Child Care Incrementalism Is Over,” I had no idea how much April would prove the point. Not only is the White House gearing up to release the American Families Plan -- which will include, per the Washington Post, over $400 billion in early care & education funding -- but on Thursday, Sen. Patty Murray and Rep. Bobby Scott reintroduced a new iteration of the Child Care For Working Families Act (CCWFA).

Crying is Easy; Laughing is Hard

The Science and Wonder Behind a Baby’s Laugh

K.C. Compton·Apr 30, 2021·7 min read

The game of peekaboo is a universal language—and there’s way more to it than you might imagine. You know the...

5 Questions for the Governor: Tennessee’s Bill Lee

The Editors·May 4, 2021·3 min read

Literacy is a top priority because we know that so much of our success in K-12 hinges on building better readers. In the past, we’ve had an environment of “too little, too late” when it comes to helping kids before they pass the third grade, which is recognized as a milestone for reading development.

Three Ways to Support High-Quality Early Care and Education. Pro Tip: Support Teachers!

Shira Mattera and Ximena Portilla·May 5, 2021·3 min read

Congress and the Biden Administration have proposed and enacted some of the largest investments in early childhood since the 1960s....

Gardening with Kids: Get Those Little Hands in the Dirt and Embrace All the Senses

Claire Raffel·May 6, 2021·6 min read

“His name is Spencer,” declared the kindergartner proudly holding out her hand. “Spencer the Slug.” Other students jostled for a...

What Do American Mothers Deserve This Mother’s Day?

Mark Swartz and Art Hondros (Illustrator)·May 7, 2021·6 min read

When The New York Times declared, “America’s Mothers Are in Crisis” in February, it was hardly news to America’s mothers....

The United States Used to Have Universal Child Care–Will We Do It Again?

Bryce Covert·May 7, 2021·5 min read

Universal child care is getting a turn in the spotlight. President Joe Biden has proposed universal preschool for all American...

Mind Field: One Topic, Six Experts

#3: Literacy

The Editors·May 11, 2021·10 min read

Early Learning Nation explores the world of early learning by connecting with advocates, community leaders, early learning professionals, parents and...

4 Top Takeaways from the Conversation: Early Learning in Virginia: Loss and Opportunity

Mark Swartz·May 11, 2021·3 min read

On Thursday, April 29, The Hunt Institute hosted a conversation with researchers and school leaders in Virginia. Data on new school readiness points to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the preparedness of young students.