Advocating for policies that support working families and their children’s healthy development
For almost 50 years, Child Care Resource & Referral agencies have served as backbones of California communities. From the Great Recession, through multiple natural disasters, and now the COVID-19 pandemic , R&R agencies are vital in supporting families and child care providers to ensure families can work or attend school.
The pandemic has taught us that an ongoing investment in the child care workforce, facilities, and child care supports for families is absolutely necessary to avoid a complete collapse of the child care system and subsequently, America’s workforce. We have an opportunity now to envision and build a strong, sustainable child care system that meets the diverse needs of California’s families and children. It requires a strong commitment from our state leaders to build and sustain a robust and dynamic system that benefits all Californians who need it. We commit to working in collaboration with other visionaries to secure the funding and policy reforms necessary to make California’s child care system whole, efficient and guided by anti-racist policies.
Build Child Care Capacity
Expand accessible career pathways for new child care providers;
Increase reimbursement rates to cover the real cost of care and allow the child care workforce to be paid a living wage;
Strengthen other supportive services for the child care workforce.
Fully Fund Resource and Referral Services
R&R agencies have been the heart of child care in their local communities for nearly 50 years. To sustain the services the community has come to rely on and to recruit and retain the qualified staff necessary to meet the needs of children, families, and child care providers they must be fully funded.
Establish a community-based 0-5 early learning and child care delivery system
Families need access to the full range of child care options to meet their needs. This access must include non-traditional care hours of care that a significant portion of California’s families require. This will include supporting informal care for these families as well all types of licensed care.
Promote and support anti-racist awareness and policies
Identify and change policies that continue race and class segregation in the child care delivery system, and eliminate policy and practices that maintain inequities among children, families and child care providers;
Support the funding and creation of targeted leadership opportunities for Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color to increase representation and contribution on all levels of decision making, coaching, and participation in state and local leadership.
Promote a strengths-based, trauma-informed approach to practices and policies where providers and families feel accepted and welcomed and that are guided by equity and belonging.