"I had never intended to be a stay-at-home-parent, but the cost of child care turned me into one."

"We had to pull our toddler out of his program because we couldn't afford to have two kids in high-quality care."

These are not the voices of those down on their luck, but the voices of America's middle class. The lack of affordable, available, high-quality childcare is a boulder on the backs of all but the most affluent. Millions of hard-working families are left gasping for air while the next generation misses out on a strong start.

To date, we've been fighting this five-alarm fire with the policy equivalent of beach toy water buckets. It's time for a bold investment in America's families and America's future. There's only one viable solution: Childcare should be free.