Samuel Clark argues that, from an economic development standpoint, childcare is the best investment you can make in a person's life and in your future workforce. His reasoning is simple. The earlier a strong intervention happens, the longer it has to change the path of someone's life. That shows up as a higher chance of owning a home and earning a college degree, and a lower chance of going to jail. He points out that making someone roughly 17% more likely to reach those outcomes for a few thousand dollars is "an extraordinary return."

He also talks as a parent. His kids' childcare has taught them things he couldn't have, and it gives them time around other kids that two adults at home can't offer. It means a lot to him that his son runs to the door every day to go. He ends with the main point: childcare is a workforce development opportunity that starts at age three and pays off over a lifetime. By age 23, it's "a little too late" and far more expensive to change course.