Rachel Schumacher

Rachel Schumacher is a nationally recognized strategic thinker and expert on early childhood policy with 25+ years of experience at the national, state, and local levels. As project director for the Raising Child Care Fund, an initiative of the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, she oversees a grant initiative to support grassroots organizers that work alongside parents, early educators, and providers to advocate for an equitable child care system. In this role she also serves as a thought partner with national organizations, foundations, non-profits, and government on strategies to transform early childhood systems. Previously, Rachel was the first director of the Pritzker Children’s Initiative at the JB and MK Pritzker Family Foundation.  She is the former Director of the Office of Child Care in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2014-2017, where she led the development of federal regulations to implement the bipartisan reauthorization of the Child Care and Development Block Grant.  Prior to federal service, she led policy research and provided technical assistance to policymakers at the Center for Law and Social Policy.