Convergence Collaborative on
Seeking to build actionable solutions and unlikely alliances so that American families can flourish.
This project was made possible by generous funding from The Packard Foundation.
The Vision
Today is a critical moment in history for American families. This initiative seizes on a significant opportunity for political, private sector, and nonprofit leaders across the ideological spectrum to step back and thoughtfully reassess what types of long-term investments and policies are best for their organizations and what success would look like in order to make it easier to raise children AND work in America. America can do a better job supporting working families, and indeed, we must.
The Problem
Simply put, it is too hard to raise young children in America today while also working. Improving support for working families with young children is at the forefront of our national conversation. Most parents are in the labor force; however, workplaces and government policies have not caught up to help support working families in today’s environment. The need for consensus solutions is more relevant now than ever with historically high levels of polarization and divided government following the 2022 midterms.
Only 25% of families report living the american dream
American Compass Research
In February 2022, about 39% of women with children younger than 5 said they had quit their jobs or reduced their hours since the pandemic began, up from 33 percent at the same time in 2021.
The NY Times
Only 23% of civilian workers have access to paid parental leave.
US Dept of Labor
Ongoing Dialogue
In Spring of 2022, we conducted a comprehensive analysis on how we could better support working families, interviewing more than 60 of the nation’s leading stakeholders on family issues across the political spectrum and sectors, as well as hundreds of other diverse leaders.
Our research focused on the main challenges families face to:
- Work and childcare
- Obstacles for reform
- Areas of potential agreement and lines of conflict
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Potential Impact
Some areas of potential impact that could result from the project and a subsequent implementation phase include:
Change the National Dialogue
We complexity the dividing lines in a way that makes the conversation a lot more rational and a lot less oppositional.
Change Public Policy Landscape
We impact federal policy to better support working parents and to help make America the best place to raise a child.
Empower Employers, Providers, and Funders
We empower employers with best practices for supporting working parents.
In the News
Experts Across The Ideological Spectrum To Focus On Challenges Facing Working Families
In a new framing paper, Convergence Center for Policy Resolution outlined the focus for its Supports for Working Families project, a multi-staged convening of experts that will identify areas for nonpartisan collaboration to address some of the most intractable problems facing American families today. The project, which is funded in part by The Packard Foundation, will explore challenges around childcare, financial instability, and public policy. “In the wake of the pandemic, the challenges facing working families are more urgent than ever,” said Convergence CEO David Eisner. “Our collective success demands cooperative solutions to promote economic mobility and opportunity for the long term.”
Program Funders
Interested in funding a project in the future?
Check out our donate page or contact our development team to learn more.
