Child Care Advocacy in a Post-Pandemic Nation

Since the onset of the COVID pandemic, advocates from all states have strived to advance child care policies that contribute to a bolder, more ambitious system. And all advocates have experienced successes and setbacks along the way. This session provided an opportunity to take a step back and reflect on what lessons we should take away from the past three years if we were to keep advocating for transformation, rather than the pre-pandemic status quo. How should advocating for child care in 2024 and beyond look and feel different from what we did in 2019 or before? 

Participants discussed two issues with their peers–one focused on what we advocate for and another focused on how we advocate for it: (1) equitable financing strategies and (2) shifting from the incremental/scarcity mindset to one of transformation/abundance.