Ann McKitrick: Hey there, and welcome to the podcast! Thank you so much for joining me. I’m so excited about my guest today. His name is Dan Wuori, and I first met Dan through LinkedIn. I was drawn to his posts because he takes TikTok videos that parents post of their infants and toddlers doing beautiful, funny, and amazing things, and he explains them from a developmental standpoint. He’ll say, “This is what’s happening. Look at that beautiful connection between this parent and their child,” and he really defines it. It’s very affirming, heartwarming, and fun to see his explanations of these cute little baby videos.
Dan is the founder and president of Early Childhood Policy Solutions. He’s also a strategic advisor on early childhood at the St. David’s Charitable Foundation, and he was the founding director of early learning at the Hunt Institute in Cary, North Carolina. He’s the father of two young adults, and he has a new book called The Daycare Myth. He came on the show today to help all of us understand what The Daycare Myth is and what we can do about it. I think you’re going to learn a lot from this gentleman. So here we go.
Introduction: In the first three years, children grow and learn faster than at any other time in their lives. It’s an amazing transformation—and guess what? Parents do too. I’m Ann McKittrick, a mom of three who’s helped hundreds of parents in my 30+ years in early childhood education. The key to success is understanding not only your child’s development but your own growth as a parent, too, finding strategies so you can all flourish together. Welcome to Parenting in the First Three Years.
Ann McKitrick: Dan, thank you so much for joining me on the show today. I am so excited about this conversation and about sharing your amazing work with our listeners. Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself?
Dan Wuori: I’d be happy to. First off, thank you for the invitation. I’m thrilled to be here. I’ve had the good fortune to work in the early childhood field for over 30 years. I actually began my career in broadcast journalism, working in radio. I was a career changer early on—I had an opportunity to fill in at a childcare program, and it took me about a minute to realize I’d made a terrible mistake in life. I was meant to work with and for young children and their families. So I went back to graduate school to become a teacher.
I was a kindergarten teacher and then an early childhood administrator here in my hometown of Columbia, South Carolina. I spent about 14 years as the deputy director and de facto chief of staff at South Carolina’s Early Childhood Education Agency, called First Steps. About six years ago, I left that work at the state agency level to found the early childhood work at the Hunt Institute in Cary, North Carolina. This organization was founded by Jim Hunt, the four-term governor of North Carolina, as an education policy resource for governors and state lawmakers nationwide. Over the past six years, I’ve traveled the nation, working closely with governors and state lawmakers to improve policies for young children and their families.
Ann McKitrick: I love that you’re spreading the word on the importance of early childhood education. The work you’re doing is so impactful, and it’s all reflected in your new book, The Daycare Myth. Could you start by explaining that title? What does “The Daycare Myth” mean?
Dan Wuori: The title was chosen to be a little provocative. The book’s first chapter is called “Daycare Doesn’t Exist,” which is a challenging assertion. The book explores what I consider a significant disconnect between what we know about the science of early development and how that knowledge is—or often isn’t—reflected in public policy.
The book argues that there’s a crisis in childcare—not just in compensation, access, or affordability, but a fundamental crisis of understanding. For the better part of a century, we’ve thought of “daycare” or “childcare” as a place where young children are kept safe and happy while their parents work. Meanwhile, slightly older children get to engage in learning and education. Even recently, when President Biden introduced his policy proposal called “Build Back Better,” he discussed childcare and, in the next breath, talked about pre-kindergarten, making a point of saying, “This is school; this is education—it’s not childcare.”
What I’m arguing in The Daycare Myth is that there’s no distinction between childcare and education. We know that young children are learning from day one—and some forms of early learning, like language acquisition, even start in utero. That perspective requires us to reexamine our approach from a public policy standpoint. If these aren’t just safe spaces but rather rich learning environments, we need to be thoughtful in ensuring they’re of high quality. The “daycare myth” is that childcare is somehow separate from education and early learning. One of the big messages to parents in this book is that all environments for young children are learning environments—it’s just a question of whether it’s a good one.
Ann McKitrick: That’s such a powerful perspective, especially for the parents listening who are either pregnant or have very young children. How can they find an environment that will nurture and help their child learn?
Dan Wuori: That’s a great question, Ann. One concept I discuss early in the book is what I call the “three simple truths of early development.” The first truth is that learning begins in utero and never stops; these little ones are learners from the moment we meet them. The second truth is that the prenatal-to-three period is possibly the most consequential window in all of human development, as this is when the brain’s fundamental architecture is being wired. And the third truth is that optimal brain development occurs through nurturing interactions with highly engaged adults.
Whether you’re a stay-at-home parent or you’re choosing an outside program, those principles remain the same. What parents need to remember when looking at programs is that they’re not hiring a babysitter. They’re entrusting people who will co-construct their child’s brain. So, the quality of the caregivers’ interactions and their professional expertise is critical.
One practical piece of advice I offer is to visit potential programs and spend time observing the interactions between caregivers and children. If, during your visit, the adults are mostly standing off to the side or talking among themselves, that’s a red flag. If the adults are down at the children’s eye level, engaged, and supporting their play, then you’ve likely found a good environment. Don’t be dazzled by a beautiful building; go for engaged adults over fancy surroundings any day.
Ann McKitrick: Right. And I think another point you make in the book is not to base your decision on one teacher alone, because of the high turnover in childcare.
Dan Wuori: Absolutely. In any infant or toddler classroom, there will likely be multiple adults interacting with your child. And turnover is unfortunately common in the field, so it’s essential to ensure the center as a whole is stable and happy, rather than just focusing on one individual teacher.
Ann McKitrick: I’ve noticed that those excellent teachers often get moved up into management roles, where they can help train others. It’s another reason to keep that broader perspective in mind. I’d also love for you to speak a bit about why turnover is so high in childcare and what parents should understand about it.
Dan Wuori: That’s a crucial point. Our childcare market is fundamentally broken from an economic standpoint. Childcare is incredibly expensive for families, but it’s also a low-margin business, and it’s held together by the very low wages paid to an almost entirely female workforce. For example, recent data shows that childcare teachers are paid about 59 cents less per hour than dog walkers.
When you ask why turnover is so high, it’s because of this lack of professional compensation and benefits. Most childcare workers earn minimum wage or just above it, often without health benefits or retirement options. The field’s low pay reflects society’s view of childcare as custodial, rather than as a critical educational foundation.
Ann McKitrick: I can totally relate to this. It’s a longstanding problem. My first job out of grad school paid $12,000 a year, and now my own kids make almost that per month in their careers. It’s a tough decision early childhood professionals make to work in a field they love, even knowing it won’t be financially rewarding.
Dan Wuori: I understand that sentiment. I share a story in the book about a director who told me she wished she had a floating substitute teacher—not for lunch breaks, but to ensure her teachers could go to the food bank each week. It’s heartbreaking to think that the people we trust to nurture young children can’t earn enough to feed their own families.
Ann McKitrick: Thank you for shedding light on this issue, Dan. As we wrap up, what advice would you give to parents listening, who may want to support their child’s caregivers?
Dan Wuori: My advice to parents is to understand the critical role these caregivers play and to advocate for change. When we know better, we can do better. I encourage parents to share their concerns with policymakers and to speak up about the need for systemic support for early childhood education. The benefits of investing in young children extend beyond families; they’re a smart investment for society as a whole.
Ann McKitrick: Thank you, Dan. I really appreciate the important information you’ve shared with us today. Parents, I’ll put a link to Dan’s book The Daycare Myth in the show notes, but you can also find it and more about Dan at DanWuori.com. Thank you again for being here, Dan.
Dan Wuori: Thank you so much for having me, Ann.