Child care isn’t just a family expense. It’s an economic engine.

Regarding Jordan McGillis’s Aug. 21 Thursday Opinion essay, “Yes, child care is expensive. But there are ways to lower the cost.”:

McGillis was right: Child care is labor-intensive. But suggesting we solve the crisis by stripping away qualifications or treating child care like babysitting is deeply misguided. Caring for young children is not unskilled work. For up to nine hours a day, child care workers are not just keeping kids safe; they are also teaching, nurturing social and emotional growth, and shaping the foundations of lifelong learning. That requires training, expertise and commitment.