While the outcomes of the elections are important, one of the most striking things about this campaign season is the almost complete absence of child care and early learning as a key issue. Into October, the Obama and Romney campaigns paid hardly any attention to child care, focusing instead on job creation and the economy. No candidate called attention to the importance of early childhood education throughout the months-long primary struggle on the Republican side. At the Democratic Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, it just was not a center ring subject. This is especially perplexing when the evidence is clear that few issues could be more important than child care and school readiness. So, another presidential campaign season has ended. If the President and Congress are to work together before the next election to make child care and early learning a priority, they will need to hear from child care providers and educators. And they will need to be constant advocates, talking with their neighbors about the good things that happen in their classrooms, telling others in the community how important child care is for the parents who entrust their children to them every day. Only then will the winners be... kids!