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Top Takeaways is a series of recaps from important conversations, town halls, webinars and virtual events about early learning.

On Tuesday, Sept. 19, Capita hosted a 鈥渧irtual fireside chat鈥� with Rep. Ro Khanna of California, and Wendy Doyle, president and CEO of . Elliot Haspel, Capita鈥檚 director of Climate and Young Children hosted the conversation.

In bluntly stating, 鈥淭he system we have doesn鈥檛 work,鈥� Khanna made clear that short- and long-term solutions to the child care crisis require government support. Haspel agreed, contending, 鈥淭his is an issue that affects all Americans.鈥� Doyle announced the formation of a National Child Care Commission of industry leaders, set to launch in early November.

Here are our takeaways:

1. 鈥淭he math does not work. It will never work.鈥� Haspel quoted Annie Lowrey鈥檚 October 2022 Atlantic essay 鈥� 鈥� to underscore the impossibility of a child care system without substantial public investment. Among the far-reaching consequences enumerated by Doyle: family planning is being put on hold and birth rates are dropping.

Khanna said the cost of care is piled atop the nation鈥檚 鈥渁ffordability crisis鈥� of everyday items. Without support for child care workers and for quality child care, he said, families can鈥檛 move where they want and can鈥檛 take advantage of career opportunities.

鈥淭he American Dream is slipping away for a lot of people,鈥� he said. The solution is what he referred to as 鈥淣ew American Patriotism,鈥� which would bring about more good jobs that pay family-supporting wages and bring costs down for housing, health care, child care and education.

2. Women bear the brunt of the cost. The child care workforce is overwhelmingly female. In heterosexual couples, the woman is far more likely to make career sacrifices to meet child care needs. , and . Doyle highlighted one route toward equity: United WE鈥檚 , which empowers women and strengthens communities by improving the gender diversity of civic boards and commissions.

Another step would be paid family leave.  鈥淓very other industrialized country has it,鈥� Doyle stated. While Khanna appreciates the steadfast work of Senators Elizabeth Warren and Patty Murray, he maintained, 鈥淐hild care can鈥檛 just be a women鈥檚 issue. This is an American economic issue.鈥� Bipartisanship is also vital, and he credited Nancy Mace for joining forces with him to form the .

3. The most important years demand investment. The evidence for nurturing young minds is clear, and nobody has presented it more compellingly than . Khanna called it a 鈥渃ritical issue to the future of this country鈥� and lamented the number of children starting kindergarten 鈥渁t huge a disadvantage.鈥� Citing Heckman, he argued that nutrition, education and loving care are predictive of college and family success.

In addition to government funding, Doyle called for more public-private partnerships, saying, 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to take all of us.鈥� United We鈥檚 National Child Care Commission will conduct a national survey of women business owners to understand the child care challenge. A state-by-state review of licensing requirements is also planned, with the goal of cutting red tape and supporting entrepreneurship.

4. A fix for the short term. With federal funding expiring at the end of September for 70,000 centers, addressing the was the first order of business for the panel. Haspel predicted that fee increases are going to come before closures, saying, 鈥淓ven as we鈥檙e fighting for systemic change, we need short-term solutions.鈥�

Khanna pointed out that this moment coincides with partisan tussles over the federal budget and encouraged viewers to advocate on behalf of the , which would provide $16 billion in mandatory funding each year for the next five years. Doyle called it 鈥渋nterim funding while we come up with systems.鈥�

5. A fix for the long term. Ultimately, every U.S. family with young children should have access to quality care. The system we develop may or may not resemble our public K-12 schools, but the moderator and panelists agreed that freedom to choose what鈥檚 right for your child is essential.

Khanna admitted that his ambitious proposal to send families $10 per day (which amounts to $2,400 per year) would take years to come into fruition, but he reminded the audience that the country had a similarly ambitious program during World War II. He further clarified that the money would also go to stay-at-home parents, who have what he called 鈥渢he hardest job there is.鈥�

This story originally published on Early Learning Nation and is now archived on 麻豆精品. Learn more here.