"The pandemic shone a very bright light on just how important child care was, and we've seen more attention to it from both blue states and red states, and both Republicans and Democrats. But it doesn't feel like we're necessarily on track for a massive, transformative policy change. My contention is that part of the reason is because of the way we frame the issue."
"The problem is that advocates have been framing the issue all wrong, researcher Elliot Haspel argues in his new book, "Raising A Nation." Haspel, a senior fellow at Capita, a family policy think tank, says the popular economic argument - that child care is needed for parents to go to work, feed their families and contribute to the economy - doesn't carry the moral heft to convince enough voters of its importance."
"Instead, Haspel said, child care needs to be reframed as an American value with many advantages - including family creation and even national security. The Los Angeles Times spoke with Haspel about "Raising A Nation," and the key arguments he believes should appeal to all Americans. How do you hope the book will be used to help advocates build a more effective child-care movement?"
Since the pandemic, demand for affordable, accessible child care has intensified as annual daycare costs often exceed college tuition or mortgage payments for many families. The economic case that child care enables parents to work and supports the economy is valid but lacks moral force to sway sufficient voters. Reframing child care as an American value emphasizes its roles in family formation, child well-being, and even national security. A values-based message can appeal across political lines and motivate comprehensive federal investment. Advocates who present child care only as a private economic good are unlikely to achieve transformative policy change.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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