The tour stops in our nation's capital to speak with local advocates about lessons learned from their successful, years-long campaign to pass universal pre-k in D.C.; how cities can better retain early childhood educators; and how to garner lawmaker support for improving child care.

We meet panelists Marica Cox Mitchell, vice president of early childhood at the Bainum Family Foundation; Beatriz “BB” Otero, senior fellow at the Center for the Study of Social Policy; and LaShada Ham-Campbell, founder and director of Petit Schools, a network of child care centers in D.C. 

The three panelists speak with Gloria about the tough work of implementing solutions and about framing our understanding of current challenges in child care in the context of how society has historically devalued caregivers, and how they are working to change that.

Show Notes:

Presented by Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change non-profit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research.

This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com

This episode is made possible through the sponsorship and support of DCTV, the Bainum Family Foundation, and The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. 

Visit dctv.org/strongerstart to learn about an in-depth community conversation on child care quality, accessibility and affordability taking place in Washington, DC.

Check out these resources from today’s episode: 

Visit the Center for the Study of Social Policy to learn about the work of changing public policy to better serve young people in ways that allow them to thrive.

Learn about the work of the Bainum Family Foundation. 

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