Back to Op-Eds

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.

Was this helpful?

Comments

Share a thoughtful response. Comments are reviewed before they appear publicly.

No comments yet. Be the first to add one.

Log in or create an account to leave a comment. Email verification is required.

Report this article

Flag content that may raise a legal concern or violate our terms of service.

Log in or register (with a verified email) to report this article.

Related articles

Aug 16, 2026 · Eric Peterson

Seeing Is an Act of Faith 8-2-26 (644)We often say that seeing is believing, but the reverse might be closer to the truth. Seeing depends on our faith that the light reaching our eyes corresponds to something real and...

Read article

Jun 13, 2026 · Site Administrator

When a county loses its emergency room, it loses more than beds. It loses obstetrics, trauma response, and the confidence of young families deciding whether to stay. Policy debates treat rural healthcare as a budget line...

Read article