So we can't use it for what we really need, which is to improve quality. If you did this kind of study in a country like Sweden, you wouldn't get these results. The study doesn't show that childcare itself is a bad thing. It shows how lousy child care is in the United States. But instead of calling for improvements, we tell mothers that their children's lives will be fine if only they would stay home.
Solutions are so clear when one's view is uncluttered by reality.
Joan Ryan is a columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle.