Capitalism devalues the lives of children and the labor of their caregivers.

I don't think there's any way we can attribute these deaths to anything besides capitalism. The United States has really chosen this path. There's a history behind it, and at pretty much at every point throughout that history we have opted for private solutions that uphold the 'traditional family' structure - without providing any public support for children or families.

Writer Megan Erickson looks at the realities of childcare under capitalism in America - from the inconsistent patchwork of health and safety regulations over care facilities to the demands of profit that devalue both lives of children and the labor of the workers caring for them - and explains why only a universal childcare system can deliver a healthy, happy childhood for children, parents and society.

Megan wrote the article A Blueprint for Universal Childhood for Jacobin.