Early-childhood expert tells Buncombe County the 'daycare myth' understates infant learning and calls for earlier investments

Dr. Dan Wohrey, a national early-childhood policy expert and author of The Daycare Myth, told the Buncombe County Early Childhood Education Committee that public policy misunderstands when and how children learn and that investments should come earlier and be better targeted.

"Learning begins in utero and never stops," Wohrey said, summarizing decades of developmental research during a Feb. 3 virtual presentation. He used the analogy of the obsolete 1992 USDA food pyramid to argue that commonly held assumptions about childcare have led to policies that are backward for families and children.

Wohrey described three core “truths” of early development: that learning begins before birth, that prenatal-to-3 is a uniquely consequential window, and that optimal development depends on stable, nurturing relationships with engaged adults. He showed studies and short videos to illustrate fetal and newborn responsiveness to parental voice and music and cited research that newborns prefer their mother’s voice and rhythms of their native language.

He also detailed the economics of the childcare sector. Citing Bureau of Labor Statistics data and analyses referenced in his talk, Wohrey said the median pay for childcare workers during COVID-era reporting was about $13.22 an hour, and that some analyses (he cited the Minneapolis Fed) estimate many providers operate on less than 1% profit margins. He told members a rural provider told him staff sometimes rely on local food banks, underscoring workforce fragility.

On policy, Wohrey argued that raising group sizes or loosening ratios to reduce provider costs risks undermining the close, responsive interactions infants need. He said universal pre-K for 4‑year‑olds can be helpful but cautioned that designing systems solely around pre-K ignores the benefits of investments earlier in life, including paid family leave and higher compensation and training for infant–toddler teachers.

Wohrey cited long-term economic research associated with Nobel laureate economist James Heckman to show the highest social returns come from earlier interventions, and he referenced a ReadyNation analysis estimating $122 billion in annual national costs from insufficient infant–toddler care and $3.5 billion in losses for North Carolina annually.

Committee members thanked Wohrey and raised practical questions about tradeoffs between pre-K and infant–toddler investments; Wohrey said answers will depend on system design and funding decisions but reiterated that earlier, higher-quality supports are cost‑effective in the long run.

The presentation concluded with Wohrey offering to support county staff as they finalize a contract to help plan focused investments.

What happens next: committee staff are finalizing a scope and contract with Wohrey and will continue work on program design, grant application review and public engagement, including a county parent survey and outreach to funders.