Designing the future of child care
The Latest from the Trust
Faces of ECE: Linda Smith
April 20, 2026
CHILD CARE IN AMERICA
It allows families to work, supports children’s healthy development, and underpins our local, state, and national economies.
Americans across the political spectrum believe families should be able to choose affordable, quality child care.
The system is in crisis.
The Trust is moving beyond describing problems and toward clear, workable solutions.
Define how a functioning child care system should work and how to build it.
- Develop financing and governance models that reflect the true cost of quality child care.
- Identify sustainable funding pathways across federal, state, and private sectors.
- Design models that support affordability for families and fair compensation for the workforce.
Produce policy-ready solutions that can be easily adopted.
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Craft model legislation, policy frameworks, and implementation guides.
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Share tested approaches that can be adapted across contexts.
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Create a national repository of proven and emerging practices.
- Convene leaders across business, government, and research to co-design actionable solutions.
- Accelerate adoption by engaging those who control funding, policy, and delivery systems.
Drive uptake of solutions.
- Translate research into clear, compelling options for decision-makers.
- Use media, partnerships, and convenings to drive uptake.
- Position actionable solutions—not just the crisis—at the center of the national agenda.
What the country lacks is not more evidence of the problem—but a clear, actionable path forward. That’s what we will deliver.
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Together, we can build the future of child care.
Early investments from national foundations signal strong validation of the Trust’s approach. If you would like to support the Trust, please reach out so that we can set up a prospective funder call. Help us keep up the momentum!