June 16, 2026 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. Eastern

Shift Work Forward’s Shifting the Childcare Industry initiative is exploring a critical challenge facing communities across the country: how to strengthen the childcare workforce by improving the quality of childcare jobs. Join us for a conversation with leaders from the United Way of Central Iowa to learn how they partnered with childcare providers and educators to achieve wage gains, strengthen workforce retention, and improve provider stability. Drawing on lessons from their work, they will share how partnering with educators to shape workplace improvements led to changes in compensation, professional growth opportunities, workplace policies, and day-to-day working conditions. You’ll hear how intentional job design and investments in job quality can create better outcomes for workers while helping providers build stronger, more sustainable workplaces.