Remarks at the 2024 Democratic National Convention – Aug. 22, 2024

I am a proud mom of three. And when my kids were young, I sat down with my husband to go over our bills. We realized that my entire income went to paying for childcare. We asked ourselves, how on earth will we make this work?

So many parents will tell you a similar story. They'll tell you that preschool can cost as much as rent or that they drive over an hour just to find childcare. They'll tell you that the workers who watch their children have it even worse.

When parents have to choose between their kids and their jobs, businesses are hurt, too. We shut out talent. We lose the prosperity parents could create. Childcare makes our economy run.

And yet, and yet—Donald Trump's Project 2025 will eliminate Head Start, close classrooms, raise the cost of care. And JD Vance—JD Vance—says affordable childcare is class war against normal people.

You know what normal people want? A president who understands this shouldn't be so damn hard.

That’s Kamala Harris. She's seen this firsthand. You've all heard Kamala talk about her mother. She was both a brilliant scientist and a devoted mom. She had to fight to make it all work, to raise her daughters, to pay the bills, to keep the career she loved.

Kamala and Tim know that when everyone can find and afford childcare, our kids and our communities will thrive. Our middle class will grow.

So let's put childcare at the top of the agenda. Let's build a future worthy of our children. Let’s elect Kamala Harris and Tim Walz.

PBS Newshour. “Rep. Katherine Clark speaks at 2024 Democratic National Convention | 2024 DNC Night 4.” YouTube video, 2:55. Aug. 22, 2024. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MuFj5PuOPd8