All Work
Early Childhood Education
Responses to “Questions for the Record” Following My Senate Finance Committee Testimony
Following her testimony at the Senate Finance Committee’s hearing on “Examining the State of Child Care,” Katharine Stevens answered Senators’ questions on four key childcare policy topics.
Testimony before the Senate Finance Committee: The Federal Role in Childcare
Federal policy must target the lower-income families who need access to good childcare the most — aiming to empower parental choice, ensure better use of current federal funds, and promote a much-increased state role in funding childcare.
Promoting Family and Child Well-Being through Federal Childcare Policy
Federal policymakers should aim to: 1) Boost choice for low-income parents. 2) Shore up family childcare. 3) Break down bureaucratic silos to amplify impact of current funding. 4) Leverage a broader range of federal funds. 5) Promote state leadership in early care and education.
Why We Need A “GI Bill for Homemakers” (with Ivana Greco)
Ivana Greco explains why America needs a “GI Bill for Homemakers” to recognize and support parents who spend time on the “home front,” dedicating themselves to the crucial work of family and community.
Child Care: What Parents Want — What Children Need (with Jenet Erickson)
Family researcher Jenet Erickson sheds new light on the role of work and childcare in child, maternal, and family well-being, and the care preferences of women with young children.
A Common-Ground New Child Care Agenda That Includes Parents
Katharine Stevens joins a panel at a Senate event to discuss a new, cross-partisan report proposing common-ground policy solutions for families with young children.
Why Homemakers Matter (with Ivana Greco)
Katharine talks with Ivana Greco about her unusual path from Harvard-educated attorney to full-time "stay-at-home mom," caring for her toddler and homeschooling her two young sons.
How Family Policy Debates Sometimes Ignore the Family Itself
Dr. Katharine Stevens joins host Nic Dunn of the Sutherland Institute to help recenter true pro-family policy at the core of public debates and offer policymakers and voters a framework for a better approach.
A Flawed Agenda for America’s Young Children: Build Back Better’s Blueprint for Early Care and Education
Is Build Back Better really dead? Katharine B. Stevens analyzes the childcare and universal preschool provisions of BBB, revealing a detailed legislative blueprint of an increasingly influential vision for America’s young children: federally-controlled preschool programs for all children from birth onwards.
Raising Young Children at Home
Our core policy goal must be to reinforce the fundamental bonds of family: elevating — rather than displacing — the vital role of parents in raising their own children, especially during the first, foundational years of development.
Is Expanding Publicly Funded Childcare in the Best Interests of Children?
Boosting access to high-quality childcare for children from disadvantaged families is an important policy goal. But a large, non-targeted expansion of publicly funded childcare will not be in the best interests of young children overall.
“Sons and Daughters of Working Mothers: Successes and Challenges”
The question of childcare is fundamentally about with whom and in what environments young children spend the critical first years of their lives. A growing focus on other policy goals is causing us to leave out this essential piece of the family picture.
Katharine Stevens on Her New Think Tank and the Need for Better Early Childhood Policy
Katharine Stevens joins Naomi Schaefer Riley and Ian Rowe on Are You Kidding Me? to discuss the importance of families in child development, how to better utilize existing systems to improve outcomes for children, and the role of public policy in creating cultural change.
Caring for Our Young Children
Dr. Katharine B. Stevens joins Traci DeVette Griggs of Family Policy Matters Radio to discuss the drivers of early brain development, how we can support families to help children thrive, and why this is a pivotal moment for early childhood policy.
Lessons On Education And Family From Nicaragua To Manhattan To DC
Katharine B. Stevens joins Emily Jashinsky on the Federalist Radio Hour to discuss the science and policy of early development. Is “public education starting at birth” the right policy approach in early childhood?
Does Daycare Destroy Dreams?
Dr. Katharine B. Stevens joins Saurabh Sharma on American Moment’s Moment of Truth to discuss child and family policy in the U.S. and what young children truly need to thrive.
5 Questions with Family Studies: Katharine Stevens on Family-Focused Child Care Policy
Katharine Stevens shares thoughts with the Institute on Family Studies on the “child care crisis,” what's missing from current early childhood debates, and the launch of CCFP.
Why I’m Founding CCFP
Dr. Katharine B. Stevens explains why she founded the Center on Child and Family Policy, the nation’s first think-tank dedicated to early childhood research and policy.
How Universal State-Run Preschool Would Cause Long-Term Harm to Children
Katharine Stevens unpacks a study showing that universal state-run preschool is likely to cause long-term harm to children overall.
Universal Child Care: A Risky Experiment with Our Nation's Children
A growing chorus of advocates are vigorously pushing for a large expansion of U.S. child care as a “win-win-win” that supports women’s careers and boosts the economy while promoting children’s healthy development. However, a growing body of research on childcare’s impact on children suggests that greater caution is warranted.