Research to identify common ground
Millions of households rely on childcare providers as partners in child development. Yet, the early learning sector requires new resources to meet families’ needs and offer decent wages and support to childcare workers. A lack of understanding about the various ways faith is expressed in child care settings can limit progress for policy change. As a Fellow at the Center for Public Justice, I devised a series of listening meetings and piloted quantitative research on the current role of faith in the early learning sector to build understanding about the prevalence and diverse approaches to faith in childcare. This work sheds light on intersection of faith-based and secular efforts related to childcare, identifying care quality and sustainability for childcare providers as areas of common ground.
Research and Commentary
“Who’s Caring for Children: Childcare as Patchwork, Infrastructure, or Vocation,” Center for Public Justice, 26th Annual Kuyper Lecture. [Text, Video], November 2023
“Faith-Based Child Care: Initial Findings from Michigan,” September 2022, with Laura Luchies and Rachel Venema
Media
“Faith-Based Child Care: Stories from Michigan,” Early Learning Nation, 2022