Breaking the Triple Bind: How Worker-Centered Solutions are Transforming Childcare

Childcare in the U.S. is at a breaking point—unaffordable for families, unsustainable for providers, and built on the underpaid labor of the educators who hold it together.

Shift Work Forward has released a new report that examines the challenge of fixing the system by focusing on educators as the central solution. The Baltimore Workforce Funders Collaborative (BWFC) is a national partner of Shift Work Forward, which was formerly known as the National Fund for Workforce Solutions.

The report follows four communities working to improve job quality, elevate worker voice, and build solutions that last. It’s grounded in real-world experience—what’s been tested, what’s working, and what can change when educators are treated as experts, not afterthoughts.

Across Akron, Baltimore, Des Moines, and Pittsburgh, a common thread emerges: when educators are treated as experts, new solutions start to take shape. Progress becomes possible for providers, families, and communities.