“A full 8 minutes dedicated to child care and paid family leave in the VP debate. My mind is honestly still blown!
“But to be clear, this was not a coincidence. We have been working towards this moment for months. Six months ago, Moms First set off to do something that had never been done before: elevate child care in the national conversation and secure commitments from both presidential candidates that they would pass affordable child care.
“So many women have been fighting for child care for decades, and I am so grateful for their advocacy. But time and time again, child care has fallen out of the spotlight, leaving moms to pick up the pieces and struggle with the financial and mental costs of child care alone.
“This time had to be different.
“So Moms First put together a plan to make child care impossible to ignore. And it worked.
“We got a question asked about child care at the first presidential debate.
“We set off a viral news cycle after asking President Trump about child care at a major economic address.
“We mobilized thousands of moms across the country to share their child care stories.
“And, last night, the vice presidential candidates spent nearly 8 minutes debating solutions to our child care crisis on the national stage.
“Before we started this campaign, no one had released any childcare plans or made any childcare commitments.
“Now, both presidential candidates and their running mates have openly committed to tackle the childcare crisis.
“I’ve never been more certain that moms really do get shit done. 😉
“To all the moms, parents, and caregivers who have spoken out, written letters, even let out a scream, you did this. Change is on the horizon.â€
— Reshma Saujani, Founder/CEO of Mom’s First, on her LinkedIn page, October 2, 2024