Make Child Care High Quality

High-quality child care isn’t about fancy buildings or high-tech gadgets - it’s about relationships. Meaningful connections between caregivers and children create the foundation for great early education, no matter the setting. In this episode, we talk to early childhood expert Junlei Li to explore what truly defines high-quality early learning, the many places where children can experience it, and why paying teachers like teachers is key to sustaining quality care. We also visit a home child care in Juneau, Alaska, where exceptional early education is happening every day. This series is created and produced with Neighborhood Villages, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming child care through innovative program-building and policy design. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more. If you’d like to contribute to the fight for a better child care system, consider a donation to Neighborhood Villages by visiting www.neighborhoodvillages.org/donate-now.  To learn more about Junlei Li’s research, check out this webinar. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What would it mean to have child care for your kid from ages zero to five, no matter what you make, where you live, or whether or not you’re employed? The United States is one of the only countries in the world that doesn’t offer meaningful support to families. But in New York, there’s a movement daring to challenge that status quo by demanding a better system: guaranteed universal public child care. In this episode, we hear from Rebecca Bailin, Executive Director and founder at New Yorkers United for Child Care, about how her organization is fighting to make child care a reality for all children across New York state. This series is created and produced with Neighborhood Villages, a nonprofit dedicated to transforming child care through innovative program-building and policy design. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more. If you’d like to contribute to the fight for a better child care system, consider a donation to Neighborhood Villages by visiting www.neighborhoodvillages.org/donate-now.  To learn more about the fight for guaranteed universal public child care in New York, check out united4childcare.org. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our shows and get bonus content. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: lemonadamedia.com/sponsorsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In Season 5 of No One Is Coming to Save Us, we're talking about what the child care system should – and urgently needs – to look like. We demand a system that is guaranteed, high-quality, accessible, and supportive. Follow along this season as host Gloria Riviera takes us into the heart of these demands, bringing you stories from families, educators, and experts who are fighting to make a better child care system possible for everyone. Season 5 premieres on May 1. Don’t miss it!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A request from the No One is Coming to Save Us team: Tell us what the child care struggle looks like for you. Send us a voice message at speakpipe.com/noone.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Families across L.A. are struggling with the rising cost of childcare and how to access support programs. Meanwhile, childcare providers are grappling with their own challenges, including low wages and staff shortages. In this bonus episode, host Gloria Riviera talks about how leaders in L.A. can invest in a more unified, affordable, and culturally affirming system of childcare. She is joined by Debra Colman, the Director of the L.A. County Office for the Advancement of Early Care and Education, and Vickie Ramos Harris, the Vice President of Policy and Programs at Catalyst California. This episode is presented by the Stein Early Childhood Development Fund at the California Community Foundation and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.  Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change non-profit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com. This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A couple years ago, early education and childcare expert Rhian Allvin made a drastic change. After decades working in policy and advocacy, Rhian decided to start Brynmor Early Education and Preschool, which now has sites in Virginia and Washington, D.C. In this bonus episode, host Gloria Riviera talks to Rhian about what it means to truly value early childhood educators, and how that leads to quality care, a diverse student body, and a more sustainable model for childcare.  This episode is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation and the Bainum Family Foundation. Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change non-profit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com. This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Does universal Pre-K guarantee school readiness? To answer that question the podcast is headed to Wisconsin! Land of freezing winters, dairy cows, and universal Pre-K. Back in the 1980s, Wisconsin made publicly funded preschool almost ubiquitous throughout the state. But they’re still suffering from a massive underinvestment in childcare and early education, as well as one of the worst racial achievement gaps in the country. Gloria talks to Angela Harris, elementary school teacher and chairwoman of the Milwaukee Black Educators’ Caucus, about the importance of early education in preparing kids for kindergarten. Then Gloria talks to Brooke Legler, a childcare center owner and activist, about the post-pandemic childcare funding crisis in Wisconsin and how we can make sure every kid in Wisconsin has a chance at success. Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change nonprofit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com.  This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  The childcare crisis in the United States dramatically worsened during the pandemic.  However, there are glimmers of hope in unlikely places. One of those is in impact investing. Small but growing, Care Access Real Estate (CARE) is a Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT). Today, home-based providers often struggle with landlords and Homeowner Associations (HOAs) who put roadblocks in the way of obtaining a license to operate. CARE seeks to "unlock the full potential and aspirations of center and home-based providers". CARE does this as a childcare friendly landlord aiming to expand supply where demand is acute in under-resourced areas. Ultimately, CARE seeks to build the wealth of childcare providers by putting them on a path of one day owning their own home.  Mission Driven Finance invests in homes as childcare infrastructure. One by one, real dreams of working in this space are coming true. Childcare is infrastructure: it is the pathway to success for parents, caregivers, early educators, and most importantly the children themselves. If No One Is Coming to Save US, we must save ourselves.  You can find more on CARE and Mission Driven Finance here:  https://www.missiondrivenfinance.com/invest/real-estate/care/ Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Climate change is not just an issue for our children’s children. We are already feeling its effects today. Gloria talks to two experts who lived through historic California wildfires and droughts in recent years. Dr. Lisa Patel, a pediatrician and clinical associate professor at Stanford Medicine, tells Gloria about how scorching heat waves and wildfire pollutants can trigger asthma in children. She also advises how parents and schools can be better prepared for increasingly hot days. Then, we hear from Susan Gilmore, the director of an early education center in Northern California. As public schools closed down, Susan and her team quickly reopened so families could safely send their kids to class. Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change nonprofit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com. This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that families with young children are one of the most likely groups to experience homelessness? Being a new parent is hard enough – it’s nearly impossible when you don’t have stable housing. This week Gloria’s talking to Kate Barrand, who runs Horizons for Homeless Children, an organization in Boston providing quality childcare and early education to unhoused families. They’re doing incredible work, and Kate has some powerful insights into what it takes  to help families find stability. Then Gloria talks to Caitlin Liversidge, a new mother in San Francisco who found herself unhoused and pregnant last summer, about what it took for her to make it through pregnancy and find stability. Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change nonprofit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com. This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a mental health crisis in America. If we want to turn that around, we need to start from the very beginning of a person’s life. Gloria speaks to Terri Chebot, an infant mental health consultant, about the huge role that childcare providers play in children’s emotional and social growth. With so much on the line from the ages of 0-5, how caregivers handle a child’s emotions is everything. Then, we hear from Grace Blanco, the director of an early learning center in Newark, N.J.. Grace saw firsthand how the pandemic delayed children’s development. But through patience and a lot of individual attention, she also saw them bounce back.  Special thanks to our partners who have made this season possible!  This series is produced with Neighborhood Villages. Neighborhood Villages is a Massachusetts-based systems change nonprofit. It envisions a transformed, equitable early childhood education system that lifts up educators and sets every child and family up to thrive. In pursuit of this vision, Neighborhood Villages designs, evaluates, and scales innovative solutions to the biggest challenges faced by early childhood education providers and the children and families who rely on them, and drives policy reform through advocacy, education, and research. Visit www.neighborhoodvillages.org to learn more.  This season was made possible with generous support from Imaginable Futures, a global philanthropic investment firm working with partners to build more healthy and equitable systems, so that everyone has the opportunity to learn and realize the future they imagine. Learn more at www.imaginablefutures.com.  This series is presented by The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation. This series is presented by the Bainum Family Foundation. Through their WeVision EarlyEd initiative, they are elevating the voices of families and early childhood professionals, their “proximity experts,” to generate equitable and practical solutions to make the ideal vision of child care in America real. You can learn more at wevisionearlyed.org.  This season is presented by The Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, an organization working to improve the lives of individuals living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage throughout the world. Learn more at hiltonfoundation.org.  Follow No One is Coming to Save Us wherever you get your podcasts, or listen ad-free on Amazon Music with your Prime Membership. You can also get premium content and behind the scenes material by subscribing to Lemonada Premium on Apple Podcasts.  Laugh, cry, be outraged, and hear solutions! Join our community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/nooneiscomingtosaveus.  Stay up to date with us on X, Facebook and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. Want to become a Lemonada superfan? Join us at joinsubtext.com/lemonadasuperfan.   Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this and all other Lemonada series: lemonadamedia.com/sponsors. To follow along with a transcript, go to lemonadamedia.com/show/ shortly after the air date.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.