State Child Care Policy Director - Child Care Trust (100% Remote)

About Child Care Trust

The Child Care Trust™ is a national, independent, and nonpartisan initiative created to revamp child care in the U.S. Launched by Child Care Aware® of America and led by expert Linda K. Smith, the Trust aims to move beyond identifying problems to offering practical, scalable solutions that reshape child care financing, delivery, and sustainability. Its approach is grounded in parent choice and collective responsibility from public and private sectors, uniting leaders from economics, early education, business, and public policy to solve complex system challenges.

Benefits of Working Here

• Extensive health benefits including medical, dental, and vision insurance, plus flexible spending accounts for health and dependent care.
• Generous paid leave options such as vacation, sick leave, personal leave, paid holidays, and school event leave.
• Flexible remote or hybrid work arrangements to support work-life balance.
• Retirement support through a competitive 403b matching program and planning resources.
• Monthly child care stipend covering costs including camps and before/after school care.
• Engaging community events to foster connection in a virtual environment.

Position Summary

The State Child Care Policy Director will spearhead strategy, research, and policy development related to child care and early learning with an emphasis on the workforce. This role drives improvements in child care access, affordability, and quality at the state level and serves as the lead expert on state and federal funding mechanisms, including the Child Care and Development Block Grant, state Pre-K, Head Start, and similar programs.

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyze legislation and regulations affecting early childhood systems at state and federal levels.
• Develop policy documents such as briefs, model laws, testimony, regulatory comments, and evidence-based reports.
• Create scalable policy frameworks addressing workforce challenges, funding, governance, and licensing regulations.
• Build and facilitate statewide coalitions with inclusive representation from diverse communities and providers.
• Act as primary liaison to state legislators, agency leaders, and committees.
• Represent the organization publicly at various forums including legislative hearings and media engagements.
• Review and analyze child care budgets to guide sustainable public investment strategies.
• Lead and mentor a team of policy analysts, researchers, and consultants fostering cross-sector collaboration.
• Manage partnerships like the National Child Development Associate Project and Early Care and Business Advisory Council.

Required Qualifications

• Advanced degree preferred in Public Policy, Public Administration, Early Childhood Education, or related fields.
• At least 8-10 years of progressive experience in public policy, government relations, or systemic advocacy with preference for state government experience.
• Deep expertise in state child care licensing, subsidy programs, and federal early childhood funding.
• Strong ability to translate complex data and laws into understandable information for diverse audiences.
• Excellent public speaking skills tailored to policymakers, business leaders, and early childhood professionals.
• Political savvy in navigating state legislative processes and building strategic nonpartisan relationships.

Compensation Details

The salary listed applies to the Washington DC Metropolitan area and will be adjusted based on geographic cost of living differences to ensure fairness and competitiveness.

Additional Information

Child Care Trust collaborates with Talentuition & Infiniti HR for recruiting. Applicants may receive communications from Talentuition representatives for interview scheduling and further steps.