Early-childhood education is a crucial kitchen-table issue for families and communities. Millions of children are raised by single parents, by families in which both parents have to work, and in homes where parents shoulder all manner of other challenges. Meanwhile, more parents look outside the home to aid with socialization, educational opportunities, or preparation for schooling for their children.

Policymakers should create flexible-use spending accounts for parents to use on early-childhood expenses. Both public and private dollars could conceivably flow into these accounts, which parents could use for preschool tuition, tutoring, therapies, or a host of other eligible expenses. Early-childhood education should be kept out of universal K–12 systems to control costs, and it should complement and augment the rich mix of churches, synagogues, mosques, and neighbourhood providers working alongside schools. Policymakers should find ways to make family caregivers eligible for support programs, and they should work with the networks of nonprofits and state actors that support families caring for their children in their or their close relations’ homes.