麻豆原创

Long before COVID-19 forced the shutdown of many early child care centers, early child care in the United States was in crisis, plagued by inadequate funding, lack of professional development for caregivers, and, in some places, ineffective oversight.

In an open letter to the Biden-Harris administration, published as in , a column in The Washington Post, Teachers College鈥檚 Sharon Lynn Kagan and , Research Assistant at NCCF, offer a way forward.

The Answer Sheet is hosted by columnist Valerie Strauss, who writes, by way of introduction, that the $10 billion for early child care contained in the coronavirus relief package passed by Congress in December will help alleviate the crisis. But much more investment will be needed to keep the nation鈥檚 early child care facilities running and moving forward, argue Kagan, Virginia and Leonard Marx Professor of Early Childhood and Family Policy and co-director of the at Teachers College, and Dermody, a research assistant at NCCF. And more than money will be needed to create a truly effective system of early childhood education and care.

Childhood lessons are often worth revisiting. Invoking the nursery rhyme that imparts the rudiments of counting, we suggest that the Biden administration focus on what really counts 鈥� improving the well-being of America鈥檚 young children.

鈥擲haron Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody, writing in The Washington Post鈥檚 Answer Sheet

Invoking the old nursery rhyme, 鈥淥ne, Two, Buckle My Shoe,鈥� Kagan and Dermody 鈥渟uggest that the Biden administration focus on improving the well-being of America鈥檚 young children by: (1) 鈥渂uckling鈥� up and taking stock; (2) 鈥渙pening鈥� the door to new thinking; (3) 鈥減icking up鈥� the best strategies from other countries; and (4) 鈥渓aying straight鈥� actionable strategies. Encouraged by the news that Miguel Cardona, Biden鈥檚 pick for Education Secretary, is experienced with and committed to early childhood education and care, Kagan and Dermody call on the new administration to create a national office for children that lays out a vision, an agenda, and a budget and inspires state-level offices to do the same.

Specifically, they write, the new administration should:

• Focus on meeting the standards of quality, equity, sustainability, and efficiency necessary for supporting our children, our economic trajectory, and our society鈥檚 wellbeing.
• Build an infrastructure that renders programs effective and meet the 鈥渉olistic needs鈥� of children by linking health, education, labor, social protection, and family supports, making access convenient for families and continuous for children.
• Adopt the best strategies from other countries: 鈥淎merica doesn鈥檛 need to reinvent the wheel. Rather, we need to swallow our pride and/or put aside the notion that we are dealing with a unique set of circumstances, and learn from other nations (often those with whom we routinely compete) that serve their young children far better.鈥�
• Create White House Office for Children and support the establishment of State Offices for Children where the latter do not presently exist.

America doesn鈥檛 need to reinvent the wheel. Rather, we need to swallow our pride and/or put aside the notion that we are dealing with a unique set of circumstances, and learn from other nations (often those with whom we routinely compete) that serve their young children far better. 

鈥擲haron Lynn Kagan and Caitlin Dermody, writing in The Washington Post鈥檚 Answer Sheet

鈥淧resident-Elect Biden and Vice President-Elect Harris 鈥� have got the toughest and, next to parents, the most important jobs in the world,鈥� conclude Kagan and Dermody. 鈥淎s they do, we need to buckle up and support the holistic development of children and our nation by supporting policies that create effective and coordinated delivery of high-quality services for all young children.鈥�

[Read about a 2019 study, led by Sharon Lynn Kagan, that distills principles from six nations for improving early childhood education and care. Read a recent report by an NCCF team assessing  the value of both family child care (FCC) and center-based programs to New York City鈥檚 diverse community of children and families.]