Families Thrive with Cross Partisan Support

On February 19th, I spoke on a panel with the Convergence Collaborative, of which I have been a member since 2023. The Convergence Collaborative is a group of cross-sector individuals who have careers dedicated to improving the lives of children and families. This diverse group of people came together to address the needs of policy reform for low-to-moderate income for families with young children.

The panel, titled “Reflections from the Convergence Collaborative on Support for Working Families” was held at the Georgetown McCourt School of Public Policy. The conversations were guided by questions such as: What is the biggest need for family policy reform? What is the most promising area for families to flourish with the new Congress and Administration? What new challenges do you see emerging related to family policy?

As anyone can expect these questions brought many answers and a deep dive into policy reform. It is a known fact that over 80 percent of voters want policy reform regarding families. I spoke personally on the need for the cost of childcare to be affordable. I spoke about my experience finding affordable childcare, even though I have a two-income household. I discussed the need for paid leave and how access to these two things would bring those who want to be in the workforce back to the workforce. Many families struggle with the decision to work or stay home because of high childcare costs.

Other panelists, who provided great perspectives, shared their expertise such as the need for child tax credits, policy and data research, and the history of legislation regarding families. In the end, we had a robust conversation with audience engagement around family policy reform.

One other question that was asked of panelists, was “Why did you join a cross-partisan group?” To summarize our answers, we all want to engage in positive conversations to bring change. Everyone’s mutual goal is to bring about change despite political divides.

Last year we, the Convergence Collaborative, released a report titled “In This Together” that discusses a cross partisan plan to support working families.

by Wakisha Newton, FV@W Childcare Organizer and State Lead