Childcare systems that nurture children, support families, and honor early childhood educators aren’t an impossible dream—they’re just around the corner. In 2022, we partnered with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to convene a collective of grassroots community leaders, childhood educators, and early learning advocates, to connect critical dots nationwide and manifest a future where access to childcare is abundant, and everyone in the ecosystem is valued.
By cultivating an environment driven by fierce optimism and radical imagination, the collective dreamed up a childcare system liberated from racist and sexist mindsets and structures. Together, they reimagined a system rooted in equality from the ground up.
In this three-year program, Reimagine Childcare will:
Gather and strengthen a national coalition of individuals and organizations building microcosms for accessible and abundant childcare systems.
Foster a creative environment to inspire transformative vision and encourage widespread engagement with its core questions and ideas.
Enable state coalitions & regional organizers to advance their boldest, most vision-aligned campaigns, through design.
Reimagine Childcare is rooted in the principles of collaboration and strong relational connections. In our approach to systemic change in American childcare, we prioritize the voices and experiences of those most impacted by structural discrimination, notably BIPOC families and home-based providers. Recognizing trust as the foundation for reimagining childcare, we commit to building and deepening trust through values-driven partnerships.
We believe that an abundant, affirming, and equitable childcare future is achievable through strategic design and by embodying its values as a growing movement. The materials we develop will inspire people to engage with the Vision and encourage its integration into their efforts. These resources will reflect the essence of love, joy, mutualism, and diversity central to our Vision, drawing people into the reality we aspire to create.