In the lead-up to the Wisconsin Democratic primary on August 11, 2026, Francesca Hong, a democratic socialist and gubernatorial candidate, is championing a government-funded universal childcare plan. Hong emphasizes the broad appeal of free childcare, stating, “When we talk about free childcare, you can connect to folks whether it’s on an economic argument or just purely that it’s the right thing to do for our kids.” Her platform includes free childcare for families earning up to 400% of the federal poverty level, a 7% cap on childcare spending for all families, and loan forgiveness programs for early educators. Hong asserts, “We cannot have a sustainable workforce without affordable childcare for working families.”
For decades, US childcare policy was limited to welfare programs like Head Start, which provides free early learning for low-income families, and subsidies aimed at helping poor mothers stay in the workforce. Despite advocacy by Democratic lawmakers and presidential hopefuls such as Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris, affordable childcare remained elusive.
Deb Haaland, former secretary of the interior and current New Mexico gubernatorial candidate, highlights the economic importance of universal childcare: “We’re in an era of real affordability issues. Universal childcare is good for our economy – it creates jobs, it helps parents go to work without worrying about their children.”
Sondra Goldschein, executive director of the Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy, notes the widespread impact of childcare costs: “It’s not something people plan for the way they plan for buying a first home – suddenly it falls on their shoulders and they’re figuring it out alone. This appeals to people who are older and younger, Democrats and Republicans, people in cities and in suburban and rural areas.”
Activists have mobilized to protect childcare gains, with Travis Ballie, executive director of the Under 3 DC coalition, describing the largest-ever day of early learning program closures in March 2026. About 150 people rallied in subzero temperatures during this “day without childcare” to underscore the issue’s urgency. Ballie said, “We did all that because this was existential – not just to preserve what we’d won, but because losing it would set us back.”
Efforts to pass childcare legislation faced obstacles from fiscally conservative Democratic state senators until organizers targeted their re-election campaigns in 2020. According to Martinez, a coalition leader, “Once those three people were out of the equation, this thing flew right by.”
These developments signal a growing political and public recognition of childcare as a critical economic and social issue in the United States.
Loading comments.