In Mississippi, Advocates Fight for Childcare Despite Austerity

From the Roosevelt Institute

Ensuring universal access to childcare is an ambitious policy goal. But ambitious does not mean impossible. Public access to high-quality, affordable childcare is a necessary part of a good life for American families. In this interview series, we speak with childcare implementers and system builders around the country to help shed light on what it takes to make a public childcare system work—not just the concept of it, but the nuts and bolts. You can read the first two installments here.

In this third installment, Roosevelt Senior Program Manager Lena Bilik speaks with Matt Williams, Executive Director at the Mississippi Low-Income Child Care Initiative, one of the major advocates for childcare in the state.

This interview offers a different perspective than previous installments: This time, we focus on a state facing a very uphill battle to win any public funding for childcare at all. Despite that environment, Mississippi is nonetheless seeing a growing movement for childcare investment.

Click Here for the Full Interview