Summer Speaker Series: Childcare Funding Solutions from Across the Country
Name:
Summer Speaker Series: Childcare Funding Solutions from Across the Country
Date:
July 8, 2026
Time:
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM AKDT
Website:
http://sitkachamber.com
Registration:
Register Now
Event Description:
Summer Speaker Series: Childcare Funding Solutions from Across the Country
This session will provide an overview of funding approaches from across the country and lay the foundation for the Sitka Childcare Funding Summit on August 6, where these ideas will be explored with local stakeholders. Click here to learn more and attend the Summit.
View the Slide Deck here.
About the Presentation:
Join the Sitka Chamber for a conversation with Melinda Garrett, Director of Working Families, and Sheri Penney, Fellow with the Working Families Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
About the Presentation:
Join the Sitka Chamber for a conversation with Melinda Garrett, Director of Working Families, and Sheri Penney, Fellow with the Working Families Program at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
Garrett and Penney work with communities across the country to strengthen childcare systems through innovative funding strategies, employer partnerships, and public policy. They will share examples of how communities have developed sustainable funding models that support working families, strengthen local economies, and increase access to quality childcare.
This session will provide an overview of funding approaches from across the country and lay the foundation for the Sitka Childcare Funding Summit on August 6, where these ideas will be explored with local stakeholders. Click here to learn more and attend the Summit.
About the Speakers:
Melinda Garrett is director of Working Families in BPC’s Human Capital Program, where she leads bipartisan efforts to advance practical, evidence-based policies that strengthen family stability, support workforce participation, and promote sustainable child care systems. Her work spans child care, paid family leave, and tax and benefit strategies, with a focus on cross-sector collaboration, data-driven solutions, and bridging state and local innovation with federal policymaking. Garrett brings deep expertise in child care, workforce, and economic development, grounded in leadership roles across federal, local, and nonprofit settings.
Most recently, she served as a Senior Advisor on child care and workforce strategy for the CHIPS for America team at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, she co-led the Economic Mobility portfolio and Childcare Innovation Lab at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, advancing initiatives that positioned child care as essential economic infrastructure. Garrett holds a master’s degree in social policy from the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a bachelor’s degree in cinema-television and sociology from the University of Southern California.
Sheri Penney is a child care economics leader who brings experience across the full spectrum of the child care field, including direct service, program administration, and systems-level work. She is a fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Working Families program, focused on child care policy.
Penney has supported national child care initiatives and senior leaders through executive operations, project management, and stakeholder engagement, helping to translate policy and strategy into effective implementation. She has also contributed to policy research, including work with the Common Sense Institute focused on child care challenges and economic solutions. This groundbreaking report led to the Iowa Child Care Solutions Fund.
In addition to her professional work, Penney is engaged in education, governance, and community leadership. She serves as director for District 3 with the Iowa Association of School Boards, on her local public school board, and as a member of the Head Start Policy Council in North Iowa.
She holds a B.A. in elementary education and has dedicated her career to strengthening systems that support young children and working families.
Melinda Garrett is director of Working Families in BPC’s Human Capital Program, where she leads bipartisan efforts to advance practical, evidence-based policies that strengthen family stability, support workforce participation, and promote sustainable child care systems. Her work spans child care, paid family leave, and tax and benefit strategies, with a focus on cross-sector collaboration, data-driven solutions, and bridging state and local innovation with federal policymaking. Garrett brings deep expertise in child care, workforce, and economic development, grounded in leadership roles across federal, local, and nonprofit settings.
Most recently, she served as a Senior Advisor on child care and workforce strategy for the CHIPS for America team at the U.S. Department of Commerce. Previously, she co-led the Economic Mobility portfolio and Childcare Innovation Lab at the NYC Economic Development Corporation, advancing initiatives that positioned child care as essential economic infrastructure. Garrett holds a master’s degree in social policy from the International Institute of Social Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, and a bachelor’s degree in cinema-television and sociology from the University of Southern California.
Sheri Penney is a child care economics leader who brings experience across the full spectrum of the child care field, including direct service, program administration, and systems-level work. She is a fellow with the Bipartisan Policy Center’s Working Families program, focused on child care policy.
Penney has supported national child care initiatives and senior leaders through executive operations, project management, and stakeholder engagement, helping to translate policy and strategy into effective implementation. She has also contributed to policy research, including work with the Common Sense Institute focused on child care challenges and economic solutions. This groundbreaking report led to the Iowa Child Care Solutions Fund.
In addition to her professional work, Penney is engaged in education, governance, and community leadership. She serves as director for District 3 with the Iowa Association of School Boards, on her local public school board, and as a member of the Head Start Policy Council in North Iowa.
She holds a B.A. in elementary education and has dedicated her career to strengthening systems that support young children and working families.
Free and open to business leaders, elected officials, childcare providers, parents, educators, and community members.
This event will be held only on Zoom and the recording will be available on Facebook.
Click here for the Sitka Chamber's Facebook.
This event will be held only on Zoom and the recording will be available on Facebook.
Click here for the Sitka Chamber's Facebook.
Event Media:
