Last week, I found myself sitting at the table where ideas are born and federal policy is formed.

I was in a conference room at Congresswoman Sara Jacobs’ office. To my left sat Shelby Gomez, who is Executive Director of Childcare at YMCA Childcare Resource Service, and the Congresswoman. To my right, and wrapped all the way around the table, was a group of men — mostly dads — who’d been invited to deliver their perspective on child care.

The dynamics of the room stood out, particularly because child care advocacy is often treated as a women’s issue and 95% of the child care workforce is comprised of women, according to the Department of Labor. And, though child care affects the whole family, fathers are not always part of the equation when it comes to finding solutions. So, when the Congresswoman invited these local dads to speak, they had a lot to say.

Congresswoman Jacobs has been very active on child care issues and is currently proposing a law that would use a portion of estate tax revenue from high-wealth families to fund child care programs.

In the nearly two hours of conversation, we covered a lot of ground. Here were some of my key takeaways:

1.      There is no one-size-fits-all solution to the child care opportunity.

• Some dads spoke up about the need for child care options that exist outside of typical working hours.
• For many fathers, working a 9-to-5 is not their reality. Just as women make up a super majority of the child care field, men represent the bulk of employment within trades, so for many fathers, finding care during “odd hours” and weekends is extremely difficult.
• The group emphasized the need for flexible solutions to accommodate varied family structures, employment situations and income levels.

2.      Child care is critical to our children’s development. It’s also essential to keep the economy moving.

• Many families find themselves working just to pay for child care or simply leaving the workforce to care for their children because the cost of care is too high.
• Parents at the table discussed the pros and cons of various topics, including tax incentives for individuals and businesses, sliding-scale pricing for subsidized care, and more.

By bringing fathers to the table, as part of a larger listening campaign, Congresswoman Jacobs is broadening the discussion of child care. We know there is no “one size fits all” solution, so the best way to find a diverse solution is to seek out diverse perspectives. If there’s one thing that was clear from the conversation, it’s that how we care for our children impacts everyone — from parents and providers to the public at large. That’s why we all need to come to the table to support San Diego’s kids.