Op-Ed
Childcare is infrastructure, not a lifestyle perk
Site Administrator · June 12, 2026
Parents missing shifts because a sitter canceled is not a personal failure—it is a systems failure. Childcare deserts map cleanly onto workforce shortages and educational gaps.
Other countries treat early care as public infrastructure. We treat it as a private puzzle. The result: women leaving jobs, children arriving at kindergarten unprepared, and employers wondering why hiring is hard.
Universal access to affordable childcare would pay for itself in productivity and tax revenue. The question is whether we are willing to fund reality.
