EVENT ADVISORY: The Nationwide Child Care Crisis: Addressing Affordability and Supply Shortages

Washington, D.C. — After nearly 10 years, the Center for American Progress, in partnership with the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research and Stanford University, has published new analyses of licensed child care access across the country. In 2025, nearly half of young children in the United States lived in a child care desert, where demand for care outpaced supply by 3-to-1. Disparities by race and ethnicity deepen issues with access, and Head Start faces a near universal shortage. Amid broader discussions about the high and rising cost of living in the United States, the dual crises of high prices and inadequate supply in the nation’s child care system leave far too many families behind. Simultaneously, the Trump administration has repeatedly threatened funding for the child care system; enacted massive staffing cuts to the programs that support that system; and introduced new regulations that would undermine efforts to make child care more affordable and accessible and to support early educators. Join CAP to discuss this new research, the impacts on families and communities, and the actions that leaders in Congress are taking now to build toward a child care system for the future that supports the nation’s youngest learners. WHO : Speakers: Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) , Democratic Whip, U.S. House of Representatives Dr. Gabrielle Pepin , Senior Economist, Employment Research, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research Dr. Katharine Sadowski , Assistant Professor, Graduate School of Education, Stanford University Moderators: Katie Hamm , Founder, Next Steps Early Childhood Consulting Laura Rodriguez , Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, CAP Hailey Gibbs , Associate Director, Early Childhood Policy, CAP WHEN : Thursday, June 4, 2026 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m. EDT WHERE : Center for American Progress 1333 H Street NW Washington, D.C. 20005 and online via Zoom RSVP: RSVP at the following link . For more information or to speak to an expert , please contact Mishka Espey at [email protected] .