The policy discussions happening in Washington aren’t abstract. They’re deeply personal. They touch people’s daily lives. That’s especially true for one of the biggest topics right now, where we are so close to finally making badly needed change: quality, affordable child care.

I know it’s personal because I’ve lived it.

I had two little ones and my first big teaching job. That meant serving dinner late (lots of boxed macaroni), doing laundry at 11 p.m., starting class prep at midnight. It was hard, but I could do hard. It was exhausting, but I could do exhausting.

Here’s what almost sank me, though: child care. Nothing ever fit right. I careened from one disaster to another — neighbor couldn’t help anymore, day care center abruptly closed, babysitter got sick. The juggling, the stress, and most of all, the overwhelming sense of failing my babies, failing my job, failing everything — it was all too much.

One night, I was on the phone with my Aunt Bee. She asked me how I was doing. “Fine,” I said. But my voice was high and thin. And then I burst into tears. I told her I was going to quit my job.

And then she said eleven words that changed my life: “I can’t get there tomorrow, but I can come on Thursday.” She showed up with seven suitcases and a Pekingese named Buddy and stayed for sixteen years.

But not everyone has an Aunt Bee. And COVID made America’s child care crisis even worse. So I’m fighting to make quality, affordable child care a reality for every family, along with giving a raise to every child care worker and preschool teacher in America.

That’s my child care story. But it’s only one of millions and millions. I’ve heard so many stories from people I’ve met in Massachusetts and across the country — at town halls, in selfie lines, in notes pressed into my hand. I’d love to know your story, because we’ve got to fight from the heart on this one.

How has America’s child care crisis affected you, or someone you know? How would it change your life to not have to worry about finding good, affordable child care? Send me your story here. [[link removed]]

Maybe you had to search high and low for somewhere that met your needs and fit your budget. Maybe you never found a place like that.

Maybe you had to shell out more than the cost of rent, a mortgage, or college tuition.

Maybe you’ve worked in child care, or wanted to work in child care but the wages just didn’t add up to enough to make a career.

Maybe you haven’t been able to get back to work or finish school because you can’t get child care. Or maybe you haven’t been able to fill an opening at your small business because potential workers can’t find child care.

Everyone’s got their own reason for being in this fight.

Our stories show how policies touch our daily lives — and they fuel our fight for change. I’m going to keep fighting with everything I’ve got to make universal child care and early learning a reality. We don’t ask the parents of second graders to pay the full cost of putting their kids through the school year — we invest in it as a nation. That’s what we’ve got to do for child care.

Our toes are on the line to get this done. And I’d love to hear what it would mean to you or a loved one — or what it would have meant — to have quality, affordable child care within reach. Please share your story. [[link removed]]

Thanks for being a part of this,

Elizabeth

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