Policy Forum # From Red Tape to Real Choice: Reforming Childcare Policy ##### Watch the Event Submit questions in the comment box on this page and join the conversation on social media using [\#CatoEvents](https://x.com/hashtag/CatoEvents). For event updates, follow [@CatoInstitute](https://x.com/catoinstitute) on X. If you have questions about the event or your registration, please email . #### Submit a Question Date and Time September 3, 2026 11 AM - 12 PM EDT Location Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave, NW, Washington, DC Share This Event [Register](https://register.cato.org/red-tape-real-choice-reforming-childcare-policy/register) ##### Featuring ![Alex J. Adams circle](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-08/alex-j-adams-modified.png?itok=FXjZKBB7) Alex J. Adams Assistant Secretary for Family Support, US Department of Health and Human Services [ ](https://twitter.com/AlexAdamsRPh) ![Anna Claire Flowers circle](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2026-08/anna-claire-flowers-modified.png?itok=YFUhMBcX) Anna Claire Flowers Assistant Professor of Economics, Berry College, and Family Policy Fellow, Archbridge Institute [ ](https://twitter.com/annacflowers) [![Chelsea Follett](/sites/cato.org/files/styles/author_picture/public/2021-01/Chelsea%20Follett.jpg?itok=t0sPC8WK)](/people/chelsea-follett) [Chelsea Follett](/people/chelsea-follett) Research Fellow, Human​Progress​.org, Cato Institute [ ](https://x.com/chellivia) [ ](mailto:cfollett@cato.org) Childcare is expensive, and proposed policy solutions too often involve increased government spending without addressing the underlying costs. Alex J. Adams, assistant secretary for family support at the US Department of Health and Human Services, will discuss the current state of childcare policy and his efforts to expand childcare choices for families. Previously, as Idaho’s director of health and welfare, Adams led a comprehensive regulatory review that helped make Idaho a national model for childcare freedom. Economist Anna Claire Flowers, coauthor of the [*State Childcare Regulations Index*](https://www.archbridgeinstitute.org/state-childcare-regulations-index/), will discuss research on how reducing regulatory burdens can expand childcare options and lower costs for families. [![Creative Commons License](/build/cato_2020/images/creative-commons.svg)](http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/) This work is licensed under a [Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/).