CLASP Child Care Experts Speak at Child Care Aware of America’s 2024 Symposium, “Raising Child Care, Raising America”
From May 19-22, CLASP’s Child Care and Early Education team will be presenting at Child Care Aware of America’s 2024 Symposium in Arlington, VA. The symposium is centered on the question: “How do we capitalize on our wins and lessons learned and boldly tackle our field’s hardest challenges?” In response, the team will be delivering three presentations.
On Sunday, May 19, Stephanie Schmit and Alisha Saxena will be presenting Inequitable Access to Child Care Subsidies (link forthcoming). This session will cover how limited federal investments, state funding constraints, and restrictive policies make the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) out of reach for far too many children and families. The presentation will also explain how access to CCDF subsidies has varied across all 50 states and DC by race and ethnicity. The session will be aimed at helping decision makers and advocates understand the current landscape.
On Monday, May 20, Rachel Wilensky, Alyssa Fortner, and Shira Small will be presenting Opportunities for States to Expand Access to Child Care Assistance. This session will detail the lack of a comprehensive child care and early education system and how that impacts access to child care assistance. It will review four key policy levers that can equitably increase access within the confines of the current system and highlight examples of positive state progress. The session will be aimed at leaders seeking meaningful ways to improve equitable access to child care assistance.
On Wednesday, May 22, Tiffany Ferrette and Alyssa Fortner will be presenting Centering Black Families: Equitable Discipline through Improved Data Policies in Child Care. This session will explore how enduring anti-Black racism in child care can be addressed to support systemic change in discipline policies through equitable data practices. This session will be aimed at those interested in ensuring Black children have equitable access to high-quality, affirming, and safe child care.