Yes, and there is some chicken-and-egg logic. Public investment follows cohesion and unification. Because the ECE field has been so fragmented, public investment has not kept up.
Funders need to trust that structures are in place to support their investments. When children’s early care experiences vary widely, there’s not a strong case for field-wide investment.
Now we are at a crisis point, and funders know investment in ECE is critical for children, families, the ECE workforce, and our workforce and economy as a whole.
By working together to define ourselves as a unified, recognized profession through this initiative, our work and value is easier to communicate, easier for the public to understand and easier for funders to support.
