Amy's Story
“I often say my six children are like a longitudinal study—I can clearly see the difference between those who had access to ECE and those who didn’t.”
I am a mother of six children. I am a parent who has lived through the systemic gaps that too many families fall through—especially those without access to affordable, high-quality early care and education (ECE).
I use my voice to advocate for change, because no family should have to go through what mine did just to access basic support for their children.
When my oldest two children were young, we had no access to preschool or early learning programs. The only education they received before kindergarten came from me at home—when I wasn’t juggling work or finding a family member to help care for them. We simply couldn’t afford private ECE, and programs like Head Start were either unavailable or unknown to us at the time. Lack of access to high-quality ECE had lasting impacts on my older children—impacts I still see today, years later.
Fast forward to my younger four children: I desperately tried to do better, but the barriers only grew. When my boys were toddlers, I found a center that I could afford, but not too long after starting care there, I figured out that they were being physically harmed by the providers. I immediately pulled them from the center.
When I looked for more affordable high-quality care, I was repeatedly told we earned “too much” to qualify for childcare subsidies, even though our family was barely making ends meet.
I had to leave my job because the cost of childcare nearly equaled my entire paycheck. That decision plunged us into poverty, leading to food insecurity, housing instability, and emotional stress for the whole family. It was heartbreaking. Still, I tried to find some type of ECE programs for my boys before they entered kindergarten.
I was desperate to give my sons a chance to gain much needed skills before entering kindergarten.
I found a co-op PreK that offered very part-time hours, but it was far from our home. I could not afford for both boys to attend, so I sent my older son. While he attended, my youngest son and I waited in the parking lot because it was too far and too expensive to drive back and forth. Keeping up with the co-op volunteer requirements was challenging because I had his younger brother in tow.
Consequently, we once again, applied for Head Start and were once again turned down as we earned too much to qualify. This never made sense to me as we were having to access food pantries, and other resources like Medicaid for the boys because we didn't make enough for them to access medical insurance through marketplace.
My boys didn’t just miss out on education—they missed out on opportunities to play, socialize, and grow alongside other children.
One of the reasons we became homeless was because we didn’t have access to affordable childcare. When I was hospitalized during my pregnancy with my youngest children who are twins, we couldn’t afford care for our boys who were under the age of five at the time. My husband had to bring the boys to the hospital to with me, so he could work. That was not sustainable, so he had to care for them at home while I recovered in the hospital. Eventually, he lost his business. We ended up on SNAP, he lost his business, and we lost our home. Before this, we were considered middle class. Both my husband and I are college-educated, and he is an honorably discharged combat veteran. But without access to childcare, even families like ours are vulnerable and can fall through the cracks.
When we became unhoused, we finally qualified for Early Head Start.
Access to Early Head Start changed everything. My twin daughters entered a family childcare partnership program, and later, transitioned into Head Start. Today, they are thriving—both are in advanced academics, reading at a ninth-grade level in third grade. That’s the power of quality early education.
I often say my six children are like a longitudinal study—I can clearly see the difference between those who had access to ECE and those who didn’t. Especially for some of my children who have disAbilities, the difference is even more pronounced for my kids who didn’t have access to high-quality ECE like Head Start.
High-quality ECE is not just about preparing kids for kindergarten. It’s about creating stability for entire families. It’s about catching learning delays early, supporting parents through crisis, and giving all children—regardless of income, zip code, or disability—a fair start in life. Our systems, however, are far from equitable. They are fragmented, confusing, and too often shut families out rather than welcoming them in.
I have been part of many advocacy groups, and I’ve seen firsthand how powerful it is when families are given a platform to shape the systems that serve them. We must expand that power.
We need coordinated enrollment systems, flexible subsidies for families in the “gray area,” and inclusive access for children with special needs or from immigrant families. We must fund not only the programs but also the people—childcare providers, educators, and aides—who make early learning possible. Our legislators, policy makers, and funders must have those with lived experience at the table to create the lasting change that is needed so all families can thrive.
When I think back to the cascade of events that led our family to homelessness, it really did come down to a key catalyst.....not having access to high-quality, affordable ECE all those years ago.
My story is just one of many. I share my story so that we can begin to build a future where no parent has to choose between working and ensuring their child is safe. A future where all children, regardless of circumstance, receive the education and support they deserve from the very beginning.
Thank you for listening—and for your commitment to making ECE accessible, equitable, and transformative for all families.