Universal childcare is set to be a 2028 presidential test

In late September, Democratic Rep.

Ro Khanna of California introduced the Free Child Care for America Act, an $80 billion-a-year proposal to make childcare free for nearly every family with kids under six.

The bill would let families choose between sending their child to a daycare center, having a relative, friend, or neighbor paid a living wage to care for them, or taking a $1,000 monthly stipend to keep the child home for the first three years.

It comes from a lawmaker who openly says he’s considering a run for president.

“I want 2028 to be a big-ideas primary,” Khanna told ABC .

“A contest on who’s going to have ideas of the future that meet the moment.” Khanna’s is not the only big Democratic childcare proposal released in the last few months.

In July, Project 2029 — a group of liberal policy experts developing an agenda for the next Democratic administration — proposed something similar to Khanna’s plan: giving families a choice between free daycare and $1,000 a month to provide care at home or pay a trusted caregiver.

The group estimates that would cost about $200 billion annually.

Third Way, a centrist Democratic think tank, unveiled its own universal childcare pitch , guaranteeing every family at least three affordable options within a 15-minute drive of home or work by expanding home-based, infant, and after-hours care, and leveraging employers as partners.

Key takeaways Childcare is emerging as a major 2028 issue, with big new proposals from Rep.

Ro Khanna, Project 2029, and Third Way.

“Universal childcare” means different things to different people — free for all, affordable for most, or simply enough slots to go around.

Polls show broad, bipartisan appetite for government action on childcare, with debate over how much families should chip in.

Early childhood policy is quickly becoming a defining issue for 2028 hopefuls.