What We’re Asking For

Child care and early education are critical pieces of our human infrastructure, and we need to act like it.

Child care is the only way many working parents can balance career success with family responsibilities. It’s especially crucial to bringing women back into the workforce and for California’s economy to fully recover from this pandemic. That’s why family child care providers are negotiating a contract with the State of California. We’re calling on the Governor and Legislature to work with us to adequately support kids, families, and providers by investing in and improving the child care industry in three key areas:

Increase Available Child Care by Ensuring Child Care Jobs Are Good Jobs

Retain and attract the most talented early learning and care professionals by increasing provider pay so that providers can afford to care for their own families. Ensure providers have access to fair benefits like health care, retirement plans, and adequate sick leave and time off. Invest in a state-supported education fund that will allow providers to gain new knowledge and skills on emerging topics. All while keeping child care affordable and accessible to working families.

Increase Available Child Care by Ensuring Child Care Jobs Are Good Jobs

Retain and attract the most talented early learning and care professionals by increasing provider pay so that providers can afford to care for their own families. Ensure providers have access to fair benefits like health care, retirement plans, and adequate sick leave and time off. Invest in a state-supported education fund that will allow providers to gain new knowledge and skills on emerging topics. All while keeping child care affordable and accessible to working families.

Make Quality Child Care More Affordable

All children should have equal opportunity to get the support they need to succeed in school, regardless of race, income, or zip code. Fund more child care vouchers for families, a permanent end to family fees, and more child care capacity statewide.  Expand hard-to-find child care for families needing help on weekends and evenings or for children who have special needs, by increasing pay for providers offering these services.

Make Quality Child Care More Affordable

All children should have equal opportunity to get the support they need to succeed in school, regardless of race, income, or zip code. Fund more child care vouchers for families, a permanent end to family fees, and more child care capacity statewide.  Expand hard-to-find child care for families needing help on weekends and evenings or for children who have special needs, by increasing pay for providers offering these services.

Improve and Streamline How California’s Child Care System Works

Improve transparency and communication between the state, local organizations, parents, and providers so that everyone receives the same information regarding state policies. Ensure there are no interruptions in care by eliminating any administrative delays in paying providers.

Over the next several weeks, we will engage in various actions and continue negotiating our first long-term contract with the state. With your support, we can build a high-quality, affordable child care system that is available to all families, treats providers with respect, and combat the systemic sexism and racism often embedded in decisions made about child care.

Help us achieve quality child care for all!