Can We Actually Change Policies?
Yes, America, We Can.
Every day I have something of a marvel moment when I am walking two of my kids to the bus. Their bus to school arrives on a busy street, one of the major arteries from our neighborhood to the highway. When the bus pulls up to the appointed spot, the flashing red stop sign comes out. Traffic in both directions stops entirely while the kids climb onto the bus.
Sometimes they are slow.
Sometimes we are running late.
Sometimes it just takes what seems to be a…very…long…time.
And yet, the cars wait. Whatever irritation the drivers feel at this annoyance, they keep to themselves.
The rule of law in this country is that when school buses pick up kids, the stop sign goes up and on most roads,* both sides of traffic must come to a stop.
Even in rush hour.
Even when it’s inconvenient.
Even when the kids are slow to get on and off.
This rule makes a great deal of sense: kids are wild, unpredictable little animals and we should inconvenience people just a bit so that we can protect them. Even when it seems like overkill or an annoyance to some, we’ve made the policy decision that this is worthwhile.
Makes sense, right?
Or another way to think about it, looks like America CAN do things to prioritize the well being of kids, when we decide we want to.
Take the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which says that kids who have a disability should still receive a public education. I know this system isn’t perfect (and I’ve written about it before, and this is a great essay on Substack here) but if you ever sit in on an IEP meeting there are many educators who are giving up precious hours of their time to discuss what is best for your kid. The inconvenience and cost factor is high - and yet, we’ve passed a law that says this is what is best for kids.
Sometimes I can’t believe that our country has done this; we tell parents we won’t always save their jobs to take unpaid sick time to birth a child, but then we have a moment of reasonableness and say, hey, let’s find a way to make school better for kids that struggle. It’s a ray of bright light into the possibilities that exist for us when we decide a kid’s education and well being is important, no matter how outside-the-box they present.
Or take the new data coming out of New York City’s congestion pricing - designed to reduce gridlock in Midtown. In just twelve days, the number of traffic accidents has dropped 55 percent (!!), and the number of injuries down 51 percent (!!). Shocking, isn’t it, that we can so easily change outcomes for the better.
And yet….our country has made many policy decisions to nix the standard social supports that come with birthing and raising young kids. We have done this deliberately: from Nixon’s 1971 veto of universal child-care legislation to the failure of Build Back Better to create a paid family leave program. (And read the news this week about the government spending freeze and how that will affect families.)
There are more examples along the way: Our country was willing to give additional funds to child care providers through the American Rescue Plan to keep our economy going through Covid, and then pulled them back once these programs were stable enough to keep running on razor-thin margins. We’ve allowed the business community to take the lead on paid family leave in most states, letting only the people who have won an employer lottery (disproportionately those in knowledge-worker desk jobs) be the ones who can take time off to bond with a new baby or care for a sick child.
And even when we see evidence that shows how such social policies would be:
-good for the economy,
-a strong return-on-investment, and
-(gasp!) good for kids and parents,
….we still do not have the political will to make the shift.
I realize that the bus flashing red stop sign is not quite the same as, say, a .44 percent payroll tax increase (which is how Vermont is funding its own near-universal child care program), or the congestion pricing fees (which are $9 for most vehicles in peak times). But what it does show is that we are sometimes willing to put kids’ needs above other people’s conveniences and wishes. If we can do it before, perhaps we could do it again? What we need to is change the mindsets that accept this lack of social support as the way things have to be, and realize that they - like most policies and the people who make them - are subject to the wants and needs of the electorate.
I know many of us in this space aren’t expecting great news on public policy this year. But what if we shifted the idea to making 2025 the year of “stage setting” and asking what would better public policy look like? What options are out there that are improving people’s lives, and what systems have we already changed to make the small inconvenience make sense?
This is what I want to explore this year in this space.
And if you need any more motivation that such change is possible, take a walk one morning. Count the cars who are patiently waiting while school buses block traffic. It’s something we have conditioned people to do and we know is for the better of the kids who take the bus. If we can do it once, maybe we can do it again.
*If we want to get into the nitty-gritty, the bus stop sign laws vary by state but most of what I found is that in multi-lane roads without a barrier, all sides need to stop, and if there is a physical barrier then only the side of traffic where the bus is traveling needs to stop.
Upcoming Event in DC:
I’ve been fortunate to interview people connected with Wonders Early Learning and Extended Day in the Washington, D.C. area about child care policies. For people in the DC area who want to support this nonprofit and hear from renowned author Dr. Michael Thompson, details below:
Wonders Early Learning + Extended Day presents an evening with Dr. Michael Thompson
Please join Wonders Early Learning + Extended Day on March 3, at 7:00 pm, for a special evening of learning and discussion with Dr. Michael Thompson, who will be discussing his New York Times best-selling book, Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys. Dr. Michael Thompson is a consultant, author, and psychologist specializing in children and families. The presentation will explore the compelling case that emotional literacy is the most valuable gift we can offer our sons, urging parents to recognize the price boys pay when we hold them to an impossible standard of manhood. Dr. Thompson’s work identifies the social and emotional challenges that boys encounter in school and shows how parents can help boys cultivate emotional awareness and empathy–giving them the vital connections and support they need to navigate the social pressures of youth.
Monday, March 3, 2025, 7:00 pm at St. Dunstan’s Church (5450 Massachusetts Ave).
$12 per ticket
To register, please use this eventbrite link. For more information, please contact Wonders at 301-654-5339.
Wonders Early Learning + Extended Day is a nonprofit child care provider of NAEYC accredited and licensed early childhood education, before and after school care, and summer camp programs. Our programs are located in Montgomery County, MD, and Washington, DC.
Our school bus behavior is an apt reminder — thank you.
So thankful for this article, Rebecca. I think people are feeling so hopeless and it is great to remember that, yes, actually, there are ways to make things better. It is not hopeless or even always super complicated!