Big Wonder families and staff will head to our State Capital to Advocate on Day without Child Care

From 1:00 to 5:00, we will head to the capitol to speak to our legislators. We would LOVE for families and children to join Big Wonder staff and Board Members at the Capitol so everyone understands why child care is a public good, that is deserving of greater public funding and better policy. It is integral infrastructure that supports our economy and is vital for the well-being of our families and our children.

Closing in the afternoon is a sacrifice for each family member in attendance, and this decision was not taken lightly. We are closing for a half-day because it is central to our mission as a nonprofit, and we believe policy reform and funding are critically needed to stabilize child care across the State.

Why is policy reform and funding critically needed?

Child care is an industry in crisis and is too essential to fail. It is a public good, like roads and libraries, and integral to our State's economy and future. Quality of care must be high to meet a young child's cognitive and emotional needs without causing long-term harm. The crisis stems from the cost of care, which exceeds what [most] families can afford. It is a failed market system that will collapse without greater public support. I opened Big Wonder after 10 years in the industry because I know it is failing, and our community's most vulnerable- young children from low-income families- are paying the price in heartbreaking ways. I am going to the capital to be a voice for the thousands of children across the State whose social, emotional, and physical needs are routinely ignored in childcare settings because the systems in place do not honor them. 

I am going to the capital to support the thousands of teachers who are underpaid and wildly overworked, as has always been the case for the "hired help" in this nation (and because it has always been female work). Most early childhood teachers make less than $19 an hour and do not get health benefits, PTO, or retirement. Early childhood education is a profession that requires years of education and experience to become proficient.

I am going to the capital for families. The U.S. Surgeon General issued an advisory on the mental health and well-being of parents. The inability to find trustworthy, affordable quality care for lower, middle, and low-income families is a barrier to wealth mobility and gender equity.

Finally, I am going because early childhood remains incredibly segregated by race and income- with the highest segregation rates of any education sector. Minnesota's achievement gap is the second worst in the nation, and the gap starts in early childhood, resulting from underfunding and poorly written policies and regulations. I must clarify that the achievement gap is not because kindergarteners do not know their letters but because children didn't have sufficiently secure relationships while in care or enough rich and dynamic play experiences for healthy brain development from birth to age 5. Most childcare centers are not positive or even neutral for children's development. Most childcare settings are, in fact, harmful to the cognitive development of children. This is the cruel reality we do not want to face or discuss, and it is the direct consequence that the childcare industry is in a financial crisis. The good news is that we can do better in Minnesota for children, teachers, and families. We need to unite in one voice to make these problems seen and solved.