About: This is a piece for my Graphic Design in Cartography class. The assignment was to make an infographic with a bivariate map.

Process: Read about my process for creating a bivariate choropleth color scheme.

Background: In 1971, Congress passed a bipartisan bill that would have “established a network of nationally funded, locally administered, comprehensive child care centers, which were to provide quality education, nutrition, and medical services.” And then Nixon vetoed it, because he said that children should be raised by family (read: women shouldn’t work). We were so close to universal public child care. It’s never been on the table since then, even though we provide free, public education to all children starting in kindergarten. Why shouldn’t we start earlier?

I started working on this project as a selfish exploration (paying for child care is expensive), but the more I learned, the more I think this should be a national priority. Providing young kids with high-quality child care is the best thing that we can do for their long-term development and our country’s future economy.

The Real Cost of Childcare