For the past nine years, the U.S. Chamber Foundation has sought to tackle the all-too-common challenge of successfully preparing talent for the work of today and tomorrow and ensure their skills align to employers’ needs. To achieve the type of behavior and systems change needed, we believed the approach had to be a significant departure from traditional workforce development efforts.

Sasha Saputo, Associate Manager for Early Childhood Education at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce sits down with Brittany Walsh, Associate Director for Early Childhood Initiative at the Bipartisan Policy Center to discuss lessons learned from The Early Childhood and Business Advisory Council meeting in Huntsville, Alabama.

The work being done through the Coalition to Back Black Businesses (CBBB) is not only empowering Black entrepreneurs across the U.S., but also the communities they serve. With access to capital being a major issue, CBBB grants help to create opportunities and economic growth that benefits everyone. Now, we’re sharing the stories of the business owners directly impacted by CBBB and how they’re advocating for equal access to opportunity.

I realize that it can be difficult for companies based in big cities to understand the realities of everyday life in small-town America. But the stark truth is that compared with their suburban and urban counterparts, the 1.1 million rural families with young children face a multitude of challenges that impact their childcare outlook.