Stanford
Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR)

Child Care Affordability

Evidence, Policy, and Practice

Event Details:

Thursday, April 16, 2026
12:00pm - 7:00pm PDT

Location

John A. and Cynthia Fry Gunn Building
366 Galvez Street
Stanford, CA 94305
United States

This event is open to:

By Invitation Only

 

Watch Recordings

Read our Coverage

Digital Booklet

What would it take to make high-quality child care affordable and accessible for American families?

Across the country, high and rising costs for high quality child care strain families’ budgets — even as providers operate on razor thin margins and struggle with workforce shortages. These pressures ripple through the broader economy, shaping maternal employment, child development and economic mobility.

Join us at SIEPR on Thursday, April 16, 2026, for our Policy Forum titled:

Child Care Affordability: Evidence, Policy, and Practice

This event brings together leading policymakers, academics and practitioners to examine the structural challenges defining today’s child care market — and the policy innovations aimed at addressing them.

Together, we will explore scalable, evidence-based solutions look like and discuss both the successes and challenges of recent reforms. Speakers include Elizabeth Groginsky (Secretary of the New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department), Mario Cardona (former Senior Advisor, White House Domestic Policy Council) and Lynn Karoly (Senior Economist, RAND), among others.

Schedule

Thursday, April 16, 2026

  • -

    Registration, Lunch and Stanford Child Care Model

    • (Pre-session) Presentation of a preliminary version of the Stanford Child Care Model in Doll 320 (3rd floor)
  • -

    Welcome Remarks

    • Neale Mahoney, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research
  • -

    Opening Keynote with Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky

    • Secretary Elizabeth Groginsky, New Mexico Early Childhood Education and Care Department

    Moderated by Ryan Cummings, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

  • -

    Break

  • -

    Panel 1 - Lessons from Federal and State-Level ECE Policymaking and Implementation

    • Mario Cardona, EducationCounsel, White House Domestic Policy Council (2022-2024)
    • Janet McLaughlin, Vermont Department for Children and Families
    • Sara Mickelson, Nohkum Consulting, New Mexico Early Childhood Care and Education Department (2023-2025)

    Moderated by Chloe Gibbs, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, Notre Dame

  • -

    Fireside Chat with Kunal Modi

    • Kunal Modi, San Francisco Mayor’s Office, Health & Human Services
    • Ingrid Mezquita, City and County of San Francisco Department of Early Childhood

    Moderated by Jenny Gold, Former Los Angeles Times Reporter

  • -

    Break

  • -

    Panel 2 - ECE Policy Design: Evidence from the Literature

    • Harris Eppsteiner, The Budget Lab at Yale
    • Lynn Karoly, RAND Corporation
    • Aaron Sojourner, W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research

    Moderated by Jessica Brown, University of South Carolina

  • -

    Closing Keynote with Assemblymember Mia Bonta

    • Mia Bonta, California’s 18th Assembly District

    Moderated by Neale Mahoney, Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research

  • -

    Reception

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