On June 23^rd, NAEYC’s Executive Director Rhian Evans Allvin participated in the Summit on Working Families, hosted by the White House Council on Women and Girls, the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Center for American Progress (CAP) to address the need for more flexible workplace policies that allow families to have success and security both at work and at home.

The Summit participants included President Barack Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, and Vice President Joe Biden, in addition to business leaders, policymakers, and working families. President Obama highlighted the need for:

• Paid family leave: 47 percent of the workforce are women, and more men are assuming the role of caregivers, yet the U.S. does not mandate paid family leave as other developed countries do.
• Child Care: married working women bring home 44 percent of their family’s income; ensuring high-quality, accessible child care would allow both parents to remain in the workforce while having their children a safe and nurturing environment.

To watch the entire Summit, click here.