This week Alan Murray is at Fortune’s Most Powerful Women Summit, gathering material for an upcoming episode of Leadership Next. In the meantime, check out Where's My Village? Fortune's NEW podcast co-hosted by Leadership Next's Ellen McGirt. Where's My Village is a limited series about the childcare crisis in America and the stories of people who are trying to fix it. Like what you hear? Subscribe!

Thanks to the COVID pandemic it's become very clear that the issue of America's crumbling childcare infrastructure extends far beyond individual families. The lack of formal support for working parents is a problem that all company leaders – and frankly anyone interested in building a better economy – needs to understand. 

Over five episodes Fortune reporters will introduce you to politicians, community leaders, entrepreneurs and corporate executives who fully believe that doing right by kids and families ultimately drives economic growth. 

In this episode, also available here along with the series' prologue, Fortune's Beth Kowitt investigates what happens when state and local governments take it upon themselves to try and fix this broken system. Kowitt tells the story of how one New England state and a city in Kansas are finding both the political will and financial resources to provide reliable, affordable childcare to their residents.