America’s Child Care Crisis

The lack of affordable, available, high-quality child care is a boulder on the backs of all but the most affluent American families.

But what if there were a way to help every hard-working family access the child care they need? What if the next generation didn’t have to miss out on a strong start? What if the people who care for our children were well compensated and valued? What investments can we make for America’s families and America’s future? What if child care were free?

Join us on Tuesday, January 28 at 6:00 PM for a discussion with author Elliot Haspel for his new book, Crawling Behind: America’s Child Care Crisis and How to Fix It. We will explore the core principles of a sustainable national child care policy and address different approaches to implementing them.

Stick around after the program for a book signing and to continue the conversation at a wine and cheese reception.

Featuring:

• Elliot Haspel, author and program officer, education policy and research at the Robins Foundation
• Julie Kashen, director, women’s economic justice and senior fellow at The Century Foundation
• Levi Bohanan, policy entrepreneur at Next100
• Diana Limongi, mom, activist, and podcaster at MomsRising Together & MomsRising Education Fund

This event is co-sponsored/co-hosted by Next 100.

Speaker Bios

Elliot Haspel is an early childhood and K–12 education policy expert and writer. He started his career as a fourth grade public school teacher in Arizona via the Teach For America program. Following his time in the classroom, he earned a master’s in education policy and management from Harvard’s Graduate School of Education. Elliot has worked for numerous education policy and advocacy organizations. He currently works as the program officer for education policy and research at the Robins Foundation, one of the nation’s largest and oldest philanthropic foundations, in Richmond, Virginia, where he oversees the foundation’s early childhood portfolio.

Elliot’s writings have been featured on numerous mediums, ranging from The Washington Post to The New Republic and McSweeney’s Internet Tendency.

Elliot lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife and two spirited young daughters.

Julie Kashen is a senior fellow and director for women’s economic justice at The Century Foundation with expertise in work and family, caregiving, economic mobility, and labor. Kashen has nearly two decades of experience in the government and nonprofit sectors. As a policy adviser to the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA), Kashen helped launch the national paid sick days movement, introducing the first national paid sick days legislation. She also helped enact the second state paid family leave program in the country as deputy policy director to Governor Jon Corzine in New Jersey. Kashen holds a master’s in public policy from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and a bachelor’s with highest honors in political science from the University of Michigan. She was an adjunct lecturer on work and family issues and poverty in the United States at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey.

Levi Bohanan is a policy entrepreneur at Next100 and an advocate for progressive child care policy and high-quality early education. Previously, Levi served at the U.S. Department of Education as a political appointee in the Obama administration under Secretaries Arne Duncan and John B. King, Jr. Levi has worked with various education nonprofits based in New York and nationwide on strategic advocacy efforts and policy development.

Diana Limongi is a nonprofit professional, activist, blogger and Latina mom from New York. She is the creator and host of Parenting and Politics podcast. As a nonprofit professional and activist, Diana works with organizations that help mothers, children and families. You can follow her on Twitter @dianalimongi and on Instagram @ladydeelg.