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Childcare & Early Education

A Staggering Statistic

November 24, 2009
As a new mom, I quickly learned what a cry of hunger sounds like. I was amazed by how quickly that cry drove me to action -- no mom can ignore that sound. Unfortunately, in today's economy, more and more families don't have the resources to answer those cries. In fact, a recent USDA study found...
Sarah Francis's picture

Making Our Children Healthier By Expanding Their Access To Nutritious Food

November 24, 2009
Too often lost in the debate over health care reform is the importance of preventive measures such as exercise and healthy eating to ensure that a doctor's visit is less likely to be needed in the first place. This is especially true for children whose early brain development and future health...
Kirsten Gillibrand's picture

Most dramatic mad dash EVER!

November 18, 2009
Almost every parent has a story about trying to find childcare or the mad dash to pick your child up on time. But this one really takes the cake: Sgt. Kimberly D. Munley, mother of two, and a first responder at the scene of the shooting at Fort Hood last week, was shot three times while trying to...
Sarah Francis's picture

Motherhood's Enlightment

November 10, 2009
As a mother, I have felt the burden and struggle of raising a family, pursuing a career and making ends meet for a very long time. I am not alone. As a nation we must step down off our “family values” soapbox; listen to mothers; and get real about creating and enforcing sustainable and effective policies that support the importance of the family unit. Then and only then will true enlightenment be attained.

Paycheck Jobs, Paycheck Feminism

October 30, 2009
I’ve been on a one-woman campaign to resurrect the phrase, paycheck job , used by Betty Friedan in The Feminine Mystique forty years ago. Friedan was referring, of course, to jobs outside the home for which people receive money. She recognized that the unpaid job of caring for children and home was...
Nanette Fondas's picture

Follow Valerie Jarrett's Lead this Halloween

October 30, 2009
Why is it so hard to tell our bosses we have to leave for family reasons? What if all the dads where we worked did it more often? Leaders like Valerie Jarrett show that being committed to your kids and your job are not mutually exclusive -- and employers win when they recognize that. Maria Shriver's report A Women's Nation offers fresh ideas for opening up more common-sense conversation - like adopting UK "right to request" rules that allow parents to get some control over their hours and still produce great results for their employers.
Sharon Meers's picture

What Should Companies Do to Retain New Moms?

October 30, 2009
I was at the Working Mother Work Life Congress this week, which showcases the 100 Best Companies for Working Mothers and also provides workshops and discussions for people who work in the field unfortunately called “work life.” Companies were asking: What should we do to retain new moms, and to...
Morra Aarons-Mele's picture

Early education our kids deserve, in 140 characters or less

October 23, 2009
Earlier this week, Majority Leader Sen. Harry Reid was photographed wearing his MomsRising pacifier pin—evidence of exactly how powerful moms can be. When enough women come together and make their collective voices heard, politicians will listen. With so much at stake for women, families and...

Who Loves Working Women More? Playing the New Political Football in Virginia

October 15, 2009
Well, here we go again. Virginia seems to be stuck rehashing the culture wars of the 1980's in their Governor's race, but with a new twist. Instead of one side demonizing working women, both sides are loving us up (although one could argue at times it's still a bit patronizing). Seems that...
Ariana Kelly's picture

Sex, Love and Labor Statistics

September 28, 2009
On NPR this week, I was asked if there’s any good in the new statistics showing that women now outnumber men in the work force. Maybe. If it lets us embrace women as breadwinners, I said, that would be healthy. Even healthier: If men do their part at home and free women to keep the kinds of jobs...
Sharon Meers's picture

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