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Childcare & Early Education

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

Part-time Lover

September 16, 2009
“Are you a stay-at-home mom?” It’s a common question when I’m at the local playground with my two kids, yet I’m finding my answer to be more uncommon than I ever expected.

Affordable, quality preschool and childcare---yes please!

September 15, 2009
In a moment of maternal defeat, I decided that my son's future wife will just have to deal with his attachment to pacifiers. Yes, we all have our early challenges. And some, like affordable quality preschool and childcare, are bigger than others. So, it's music to my ears that Congress just introduced the new Early Learning Challenge Fund to Address some key early learning challenges.
Sarah Francis's picture

A mom and an advocate for high quality preschool

September 15, 2009
As an advocate, I want to see the millions of vulnerable children realize their potential. As a mom, I want my son and daughter to grow up with other kids who share their love of learning. By raising the quality of our nation’s early childhood education programs and increasing access to them, we can fundamentally change not only our children’s future, but our nation’s as well.

Coming This Fall: Larger Class Sizes

July 26, 2009
Despite billions of dollars in stimulus funds pumped into school systems across the country, districts in urban and rural settings alike will open their doors this fall with as many as 45 students in class. I have written about this before, but still, reading this story by the Associated Press left...
Elisa Batista's picture

Gillibrand: Make Child Care Affordable and Take the Burden Off Working Parents

July 6, 2009
More parents than ever are balancing work and raising children. When I was growing up, just over one-third of mothers with young children worked outside the home. Today, it’s nearly two-thirds. The cost of quality child care is steadily increasing across New York. families across New York are...
Kirsten Gillibrand's picture

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