Earlier today, the private and public sector gathered at the World Bank headquarters in Washington to discuss the urgent subject of child care around the globe.

The World Bank Group's IFC had just released an extensive report on the subject and invited a panel of experts, including Bright Horizons' President Stephen Kramer, to weigh in.

The consensus was reflected the report's title, "Tackling Childcare; The Business Case for Employer-Supported Child Care."

"No country, community, or economy can achieve its potential or meet the challenges of the 21st century without the full and equal participation of women and men, girls and boys," wrote IFC's Vice President Nena Stoiljkovic in the report's forward. "Reliable, affordable, and good-quality childcare is essential for making progress."

Among the many child care insights from the event:

• It's not just a woman's issue. Dads, said Ms. Stoiljkovic worry about child care, too.
• It's a definitive recruitment tool: "Child care on site is a powerful message that being a parent and employee is embraced," said Bright Horizons President Stephen Kramer.
• The business benefits are significant. "We are looking at daycare as a profit center," said MAS Kreeda CEO Farhan Ifram in Jordan discussing the effect of his company's child care center on in initiatives like recruitment and retention. "Not a cost center."
  

The final consensus: quality early education is an equalizer for children that will benefit today's and tomorrow's workforces.

It's a "call to action," wrote Ms. Stoiljkovic, "encouraging all stakeholders to invest in childcare and support the infrastructure necessary for high-quality childcare providers to expand and meet the growing demand.

"Success," she wrote, "will score a triple win for all: employees and their children, businesses, and economies."