Better Life Lab @BetterLifeLab

In a new report for New America’s @BetterLifeLab, @BrigidSchulte and @ehaspel consider how better understanding the realities of care may be a critical first step toward building effective policy solutions. 📊 Learn more about the care disconnect: go.newamerica.org/the-care-disco…

Child care subsidies going to stay at home parents? The Trump administration is preparing a rule that would allow federal child care funds to go to families with a stay-at-home parent. Better Life Lab’s @ehaspel weighs in on Fox News on what the proposal is a trap, and how we get to a point where families have can thrive financially whether they decide to stay home or not. Americans “want the control over their care and work situations”, he stressed, and that’s going to take proposals that focus on funding the high costs of care.

New Mexico's early primary spot is a golden opportunity: just as Iowa became ethanol's testing ground, NM (first state with universal free childcare) could become where candidates have to prove their childcare bona fides. Time for childcare site visits to become a campaign ritual, writes @ehaspel. santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_vie… #journalism #journochat #caregiving

Do you have a childcare story to tell? The Better Life Lab at New America is launching a new round of childcare reporting grants, and I want to make the case for why you should apply. This is my favorite kind of news to share — it's a chance for hardworking journalists to get paid to cover an issue long underrepresented in traditional media. If that could be you, keep reading. What you get • Money. A stipend plus editorial support for a piece of journalism on childcare in the U.S. We want solutions-oriented stories — the situation can be dire, but we're looking for what a better way forward looks like, spotlighting where parts of childcare policy are genuinely working. • Creative freedom. Written, audio, graphic, documentary — we're open to experimenting with format. The goal is great storytelling, not a rigid template. • Real support. Based on grantee feedback, we're adding more editorial support and cohort collaboration this year, so everyone walks away with a stronger final product. What this isn't Not a shortcut to an easy byline. Pitching and placing the story is part of the work. We'll advise, but landing placement takes real effort, especially freelancing — budget time and persistence. Not enough to replace a full-time income. If you already cover childcare, want to start, or are a freelancer or newsroom reporter looking to do more — great fit. Looking for full-time work? This isn't that. Is this you? You'd work directly with Better Life Lab's @Beckgale. Some of her favorite must-read writers on family policy today are former Better Life Lab grantees. The application is straightforward, but Gale is available if you're unsure whether your idea fits. Our goal: more high-quality childcare journalism. More reporters covering it. More of them paid fairly to do so. The application is open now. Apply here and also get additional information about the grants: newamerica.org/insights/care-… #caregiving #journalism #carereporting #reporters

Child care subsidy 👏 is a voucher system 👏 that can currently be used for paying grandparents and other family members 👏 because the GOP insisted on that when George HW Bush signed the law in 1990 👏 so the fund isn’t exclusively sending checks anywhere 👏 “details matter.”

Inez Stepman ⚪️🔴⚪️ @InezFeltscher

2 weeks ago

Details matter. There is a giant taxpayer subsidy for families that use daycare. That stays in place until Congress cuts it (won’t happen). So instead of exclusively sending checks to daycares, the admin is proposing making the money flexible and giving it to parents, much like

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A must listen about the Trump administration preparing a rule that would allow federal child care funds to go to families with a stay-at-home parent. 👇

Elliot Haspel @ehaspel

2 weeks ago

Glad for the chance to go on LiveNOW with @ItsAndyMac_ to talk through the Trump stay-at-home-parent proposal and how we can support all families in having the freedom and control they want in raising their children, which in turn strengthens all of us: youtube.com/watch?v=wI0p3a…

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Intergenerational care spaces need to be part of the future. Capita's visiting fellow Mélina Magdelénat writes about the "institutional paradox of care" and how these spaces can balance the need for institutions to provide the scale of child & elder care required in modern times with the need for care that is deep, slow, and relational - not always institutions' strong suits.

NYC's childcare wins are real. So is the funding gap. Mayor Mamdani has made genuine progress on childcare. Two programs are doing the heavy lifting: • Brand-new free child care for 2-year-olds, launched this fall with 2,000 seats, expanding citywide over four years • The existing free program for 3-year-olds, now being expanded to new providers for the first time in five years. Together with Pre-K (for 4-year-olds), these form the backbone of Mamdani's promise: free child care for every NYC kid, 6 weeks to 5 years old. This is language his administration calls “essential infrastructure.” Here's the catch: there's no dedicated funding stream behind it, explains @Beckgale in her recent article in @VitalCityNYC. A few numbers worth sitting with: • Universal childcare for NYC's under-5 population could cost roughly $9 billion a year • The current funding, including $1.2B from the state, is one-time money, not a sustainable source • Childcare workers still earn about half of what K-12 teachers make Other cities have already solved this: • Vermont funds it through a payroll tax • San Antonio passed a dedicated sales tax — voters reauthorized it at 73% NYC has built the programs. It hasn't built the funding architecture to keep them alive. Without a real, recurring revenue source, these gains are one budget cycle away from disappearing. A link to the article is in the comments. #ChildcarePolicy #NYC #EarlyChildhoodEducation #UrbanPolicy #mamdani #NewYorkChildcare #WorkingFamilies #CareInfrastructure #EarlyChildhoodPolicy #careeconomy #workingparents vitalcitynyc.org/childcare-need…

Why do we ridicule and belittle leisure time? @BrigidSchulte stressed that leisure time isn’t silly or frivolous, in an interview with @The19thNews's Jennifer Gerson for her newsletter, "Menopause, without the noise". When women do not take leisure time, there are not only real individual costs, but costs to our families, our communities and even society at large. This is especially acute for women in midlife — because they both have a lot of responsibility and a lot of valuable experience.  “The individual cost is when you don’t get that time to refresh your soul, you burn out,” Schulte said. Read the full newsletter by clicking on the link below. us4.campaign-archive.com/?e=ebe0105ae0&…

Most Americans have no idea what caring for kids or aging parents actually costs, according to a national report by @BetterLifeLab, highlighted in a new @PNS_News article focused on New York State costs. "There was a very overwhelming majority that said families cannot do this alone anymore and that both government and business have a role to play in helping families pay for, navigate and manage care costs throughout their lives," @BrigidSchulte explained. What about Medicare? It doesn't cover long-term senior care. Medicaid does, but only once families "spend down" their savings. 4 million New Yorkers are already providing unpaid elder care, according to the article. The message from experts: families can't carry this alone anymore. newamerica.org/insights/the-c… app.publicnewsservice.org/story/survey-a…

In 2023, Vermont became the first state to make child care a legal right for families. It doesn't have to be the last. @BetterLifeLab's @Beckgale traces the nearly two-decade effort behind Act 76 and what it means for the rest of the country. 🚼 go.newamerica.org/vermont-needed…

There's a $1,000 check waiting for millions of American kids. Many of their parents have no idea it exists, based on reporting by Haley Swenson, Senior Writer and Researcher at New America's @BetterLifeLab, who wrote about the new “Trump Accounts” for @The19thNews. Trinity Coleman, a mom in Virginia, only found out her newborn twins each qualified for $1,000 in a new federal savings account because a former coworker happened to mention it. That's not a fluke. It’s the design. Unlike a 2007 Oklahoma experimental savings program, that the Trump Accounts are partially built on, auto-enrolled newborns and hit 99.9% account uptake. The Trump version require parents to actively register and then separately claim the money through the IRS. The result: Treasury estimates only about 39% of eligible kids have been signed up so far. Billions sitting unclaimed. The funds are least reachable for the families who'd benefit most, right as the nonprofit and outreach networks that would normally spread the word are stretched thin. Two takeaways: "automatic" vs. "opt-in" isn't a technicality. It’s the difference between near-universal reach and 39%. And good intentions still need good delivery to actually close wealth gaps. If you have kids born in 2025 or later, check whether they're enrolled. The money is already theirs to claim. #FinancialLiteracy #WealthBuilding #PublicPolicy #trumpaccounts #incomeinequality #generationalwealth 19thnews.org/2026/08/trump-…

"This isn't just a work problem or a life problem. It's a collision problem." Burnout isn't always about working longer hours. Sometimes it's the invisible mental load: the constant planning, remembering, coordinating, anticipating, and decision-making that happens behind the scenes at work and at home. When organizations recognize and address mental load, not just visible workloads, they create healthier teams, better decision-making, and more sustainable performance. Read the full article by Leah Ruppanner, Haley Swenson, @ManginoKate, Colleen Stuart, David Smith, and @molly_dickens in @HarvardBiz: hbr.org/2026/07/the-in…

🎉 New America is pleased to announce the promotion of Molly G. Martin to VP of Development & Strategy. In this role, Martin will fundraise for, design, implement, and measure various strategic opportunities that advance New America’s mission. 🔗 go.newamerica.org/molly-martin-v…

Whether you’re caring for someone now, are thinking about caregiving in your future, or you're just trying to take care of yourself, you have something to say about care. We want to hear from you. Join us for the Day to Have Your Say and be one of 1 Million Care Conversations: #1MCare caringacross.formstack.com/forms/1_millio…

A new report from @BetterLifeLab's @Beckgale explores how Vermont achieved one of the nation's most ambitious child care reforms through Act 76, establishing a near-universal child care system backed by sustainable public investment. 📖 go.newamerica.org/vermont-needed…

Marriage isn't dying. But it might be evolving faster than we are. That's the idea at the center of a recent Better Life Lab conversation with historian @StephanieCoontz , author of the new book "For Better and Worse: The Complicated Past and Challenging Future of Marriage". Coontz's core argument: people haven't given up on marriage—they expect more from it than ever. Not just companionship, but fairness, teamwork, and respect. So why does it feel so hard? Coontz says much of modern marital conflict isn't really about the dishes. It's old scripts—assumptions about who "should" do what—colliding with new expectations of equality. Small chores become symbolic battles. The real question, she says, is: is this about fairness, or about power and pride? Journalist @annalouiesuss added another layer: gender roles don't evolve in a bubble—they shift alongside politics, economics, and culture, including a more hostile strain of masculinity in public life that doesn't stay outside the front door. The takeaway: marriage doesn't exist in a vacuum. Supporting gender equality within it takes work in workplaces and culture too, not just at home. Haley Swenson, Better Life Lab's senior writer and researcher, wrote the forward to Coontz' book and also moderated the discussion. What do you think—are today's higher expectations for marriage a sign of progress, or a source of new strain? newamerica.org/insights/why-m… #Marriage #GenderEquality #FutureOfWork #tradwife #traddad

The Godfrey family has moved more than two dozen times, cycling through hotels, rooming houses, and even their car as rent and unstable work put a stable home out of reach. Watch the video to see what their story in @guardian by @BrigidSchulte reveals about the hidden toll of housing instability on children. newamerica.org/insights/the-h…

If you missed our webinar on marriage and gender inequality today, check it out. Marriage rates have fallen sharply since the 1970s, yet most Americans still say they want to marry. So why do so many people tell pollsters they have “no idea” whether they’ll actually end up married? And why are young women, for the first time, more uncertain than young men? In "For Better and Worse: The Complicated Past and Challenging Future of Marriage", historian @StephanieCoontz draws on five pivotal periods of historical transformation to trace how shifting gender expectations, romantic ideals, and cultural myths have left us with contradictory beliefs and habits that make it hard to build the relationships we actually want. She challenges both those who see marriage as the only path to stability and those who see it as inherently oppressive, charting a new middle ground based on what actually helps relationships. Durning the webinar the author Coontz, was joined by journalist @annalouiesuss, and Better Life Lab Senior Writer and Researcher Haley Swenson, who contributed the afterword to the book. Together, they explored what history can teach us about where we are now, and why, despite everything, there is real reason for hope. youtube.com/watch?v=lzn0F4…