The American childcare system is in crisis. Families with children to care for have struggled for years to find accessible, affordable options. They are forced to pay exorbitant costs, compromise on convenience and quality, or make difficult decisions about their jobs and careers. Despite the pervasiveness of this struggle for families with young children, there has been little progress toward a comprehensive legislative solution.
As the Roosevelt Institute works to build a vision for a progressive government that truly delivers for everyday Americans, we have invited care experts to think about creative policy solutions to the ongoing childcare crisis. Our upcoming webinar, From Crisis to Care: Reimagining Childcare as Public Infrastructure, will bring together the authors of three Roosevelt reports along with Senator Andy Kim and sociologist Jessica Calarco to discuss a path forward for childcare that puts American families and childcare workers—rather than large corporations—at the center of this essential service. At a moment when providers are being forced to close, raise their rates, or sell to private equity firms, our panel imagines a society that guarantees affordable and quality childcare for all.
Speakers
Senator Andy Kim [Opening Remarks]
United States Senator (D-NJ)Andy Kim is a lifelong public servant who is proud to represent the state where he grew up, and that gave his family a chance at the American Dream, in the United States Senate. In the United States Senate, Senator Kim is committed to building a better future for his two little boys and generations to come. He is focused on combating corruption and ensuring our democracy is reflective of all American voices, on building an economy where everyone can afford to provide a better future for the next generation.
Jessica Calarco [Moderator]
Fellow, Stratification Economics, Roosevelt InstituteAs a Roosevelt Institute fellow, Jessica Calarco works on developing a post-neoliberal approach to policy work intended to address structural inequalities and repair trust in public institutions by centering the politics of care. She is a sociologist and professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net.
Kathryn Anne Edwards
PhD economist and independent economic policy consultantKathryn Anne Edwards is a PhD economist and independent economic policy consultant. Her research focuses on the intersection of labor markets and public policy, including unemployment and unemployment insurance, recessions and recoveries, women’s labor supply, poverty alleviation, retirement security, and Social Security. She has testified three times before Congress on economic policy and writes a weekly column on the economy for Bloomberg.
Elliot Haspel
Senior fellow at CapitaElliot Haspel is a nationally recognized child and family policy expert and commentator, a senior fellow at Capita, and the author of “Crawling Behind: America’s Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It” and the forthcoming “Raising a Nation: 10 Reasons Every American Has a Stake in Child Care for All”. You can read more from him on his Substack, “The Family Frontier.“
Jennifer Wells
Director, Economic Justice/Care Economy, Community ChangeJennifer Wells leads Community Change Power Building’s work in the Care Economy as its Director. She has strengthened the strategic vision and campaigns for health equity and childcare. Before joining the Economic Justice team, Jennifer served as Deputy Director of Black-Led Organizing with Community Change’s Reinvestment Team. Her leadership was instrumental in leading the Black Freedom Collective’s expansion strategy and supported the Economic Justice’s Just Recovery and CTC campaigns.