This year, the ECE Coalition is rallying behind a proposal to increase child care funding by $1 billion to create additional child care spaces to immediately improve access for California’s families. The proposal is amicably referred to as “Billion for Babies.”
There is a great void between qualifying people who need care and those very people who are receiving care. In Los Angeles County alone, only 7.45% of eligible infants and toddlers (children ages 0-2) are served in subsidized programs. The Alternative Payment (AP) voucher program, which serves children from low income working families in Los Angeles County, currently serves 6,928 children ages 0-12 but has a waiting list of 46,093 – in other words, only 1 in 6 children has access to a child care subsidy.
With an increase of $1 billion toward child care slots, California child care providers could serve approximately 100,000 more children than they currently do – this would have a huge impact!
Research conducted by CCRC’s Research and Evaluation Department shows that families thrive when they have access to subsidized child care, compared to families on child care wait lists. Parents with access to subsidized child care are more likely to keep their jobs and further their education or attend work trainings, and their children are more likely to develop socially and perform better in school compared to parents and children without access to subsidized child care.
The ECE Coalition has also requested that the California Legislature act to increase the infant and toddler adjustment factors in order to increase the maximum payment rate providers can earn, as well as provide start-up funds to convert existing classrooms designated for older children into rooms appropriate for infant and toddler care. The ECE Coalition has already met with many legislative leaders and the Legislative Women’s Caucus has once again made child care its legislative priority.
This spring, support CCRC and the ECE Coalition by attending our events (see event details below) and using our hashtags #SpringForKids and #BillionforBabies on social media. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.
Contact CCRC Director of Government Relations, Donna Sneeringer, at [email protected] for more information.
Events.
May 2, 2018 9:00am – 5:00pm
First 5 Association Advocacy Day & 20th Anniversary Celebration
Host: First 5 Association of California Sacramento
Location: State Capitol Building
Learn more.
May 8, 2018 6:30pm – 8:00pm
Gubernatorial Debate
Host: Silicon Valley Community Foundation
Location: Televised Event
Learn more.
May 9, 2018 8:00am
Parent Voices 22nd Annual Stand for Children Day 2018
Host: Parent Voices
Location: Sacramento
Learn more.
May 09-10, 2018
Fundraising for Impact Summit: The Small and Mighty Edition (Virtual conference)
Host: United Ways of CA Virtual
May 19, 2018 10:00am -1:00 pm
Annual Annabelle Godwin Play Day
Host: CCRC
Location, Van Nuys – Los Angeles Area
Learn more.
