When people talk about fixing childcare, the conversation often centers on affordability for families or access to available seats. Those challenges are real, but they only tell part of the story. Behind every childcare classroom are educators whose working conditions shape not only their own futures, but the quality and stability of care that families depend on.

In this first of two special episodes recorded during Shift Work Forward's June 2026 Childcare Cross-Site Meeting in Chicago, leaders from three communities participating in our Shifting the Childcare Industry initiative share how they're working to improve job quality in the childcare sector. You'll hear ho ...