Why is child care so expensive and impossible to find? And why are child care providers paid so little? And how come when TV shows depict child care, if they do at all, it’s completely unrealistic—full of super nannies and hapless dads? Child care is the backbone of our entire country and is traditionally women’s work—which is why it’s frustrating, but maybe not surprising, that it’s so often invisible. In this episode, we talk to NWLC experts Jasmine Tucker and Julie Vogtman about who to blame for our child care crisis, how to help child care workers and parents alike, and the child care myths that are hurting all of us, whether you have kids or not.

We have so many resources for you!

Julie’s Undervalued report:
https://nwlc.org/resource/undervalued-a-brief-history-of-womens-care-work-and-child-care-policy-in-the-united-states/

Jasmine and Julie’s report on what happened to women after COVID-19:
https://nwlc.org/resource/resilient-but-not-recovered-after-two-years-of-the-covid-19-crisis-women-are-still-struggling/

Child care provider Merline A. Gallegos explains what would help her:
https://nwlc.org/on-child-care-worker-appreciation-day-what-we-really-need-is-action/

An interactive map that shows how each state would benefit if Congress stabilized the child care system with $16 billion:
https://nwlc.org/resource/cc-map/

Data that shows child care workers are being left behind in terms of their pay: https://nwlc.org/press-release/nwlc-releases-data-revealing-child-care-workers-wage-growth-lags-behind-other-low-paid-occupations/