| Abstract: |
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated longstanding systemic and structural inequities in early childhood, particularly for Black, Latinx, Indigenous, and low-income families and providers. Through the remainder of 2020, it is anticipated that the pandemic will continue to disproportionately impact these communities. In July and August, the authors spoke with parents of young children, child care providers, and community and field leaders, with a particular focus on people of color, to understand what funders might do in 2021 to build back early childhood systems for equity. Those that the authors had spoken with highlighted three types of investments funders can make to build back for equity: (1) Build community power and capacity locally and nationally; (2) Advance state and federal policy advocacy; and (3) Build infrastructure and capacity to connect efforts and create feedback loops. This memo intends to inform conversations, decisions, and actions that funders might take in 2021 from the perspective of what families, providers, and community and field leaders have named as being most critical. It is intended to be neither a comprehensive list of needed investments nor an exact blueprint of the tactics funders might take. Instead, the authors elevate types of investments funders can make, example organizations doing that kind of work, and grant-making principles to consider. This memo draws from reports, blog posts, webinars, and panels as well as targeted interviews with over a dozen parents, providers, and community and field leaders who are predominantly people of color. |