Tangled Branches

The Lie that Measuring Quality is About Compliance

“Quality is about compliance.” That’s the lie. In this episode, we unpack how checklists, ratings, and systems became the measure of quality—and what gets lost when relationships and real learning are pushed aside.

The Lie that One Curriculum Fits All

“One curriculum fits all.” That’s the lie. In this episode, we break down how this idea took hold in early childhood—and why it’s failing both educators and children. Because real learning was never meant to be scripted.

The Lie: Center Care Is Better Than Family Child Care

In this episode of At Its Roots, we examine the long-standing belief that center care is automatically better than family child care. Where did that idea come from? We trace the history of early childhood education — from village-based care to licensing, regulation, and funding structures — to understand how perception, policy, and access shaped a hierarchy within the field. While both centers and family child care programs serve children and families in important ways, history reveals how one model became more visible, more funded, and often more trusted. Is one setting truly better — or have we internalized a system that was built long before us?

Last Week in Child Care Policy 101

Child Care Policy 101 is a short-form policy series created in real time to help educators, families, and advocates understand how child care systems actually function, especially when funding, fraud narratives, and public panic collide. Recorded during a week of rapid policy shifts and misinformation, this series breaks down: how oversight and accountability already exist in child care systems how fraud narratives are constructed and weaponized how propaganda shapes public opinion and policy decisions and who is harmed when identity, fear, and politics replace evidence This is not commentary for clicks. It is policy literacy grounded in lived experience, critical thinking, and care for the communities most impacted by these decisions. Child Care Policy 101 is part of the Chaos & Clarity framework under Perfect Start Consulting thought leadership focused on education, policy, and advocacy and is presented by Chaos Coordinators. If you work in early childhood education, rely on child care, or want to better understand how policy narratives are built and used, this series is for you.

Tangled Branches

The roots of child care are tangled with race, equity, and resilience. From redlining to Sesame Street, from community programs to the Black Panthers’ Head Start — this episode uncovers the stories that shaped our field.