Child care is an essential service and we all realized it more with the Pandemic. We were opened during the pandemic and some closed their doors due to lack of funds.

Parents rely on us so they can work, attend school, or participate in training while knowing their children are well cared for in a stable and nurturing environment. What would it be like if we were to close our doors for weeks ? Months or forever ?

Providers dedicate their time to teach and watch these children grow every single day. We have to be licensed and keep in compliance. We have to pay staff to work and stay in compliance. We work long hours. Providers are under payed and receive no benefits. What happens once I reach retirement ? What happens if I get sick ? This is very concerning and needs to change. We need to be acknowledged and treated fairly. We are not baby sitters, we are entrepreneurs. We are demanding higher rates, health benefits and 401K.

Child care has been out of reach for many families due to the lack of available care and the high price. This was exacerbated by the pandemic when child care programs closed—both temporarily and permanently. Compounding these challenges has been that fact that child care workers have been leaving the sector due to persistent low wages and lack of benefits. Public investment in child care is desperately needed in order to support living wages for child care workers and alleviate the current shortage of affordable and reliable child care options for families.

We demand a public investment for… 

Living wages for child care providers
All child care providers should be paid a living wage and compensation on par with 3k-12 teachers to early care and education workers, who are disproportionately Black and brown women.

An equitable childcare system built on racial justice
We need culturally appropriate, accessible care in our communities, where all people who take care of our children are paid living wages. We must do away with eligibility requirements that impede access and disproportionately affect low wage workers, women and people of color, such as work requirements and intrusive application processes. 

Affordable childcare for all families
We need to guarantee child care for every family who needs it, whether Black, white, or brown.

El cuidado infantil es un servicio esencial y todos nos dimos cuenta más con la Pandemia. Estuvimos abrierto durante la pandemia y algunos cerraron sus puertas por falta de fondos.
Los padres confían en nosotros para que puedan trabajar, asistir a la escuela o participar en la capacitación mientras saben que sus hijos están bien cuidados en un ambiente estable y enriquecedor. ¿Cómo sería si cerráramos nuestras puertas durante semanas? ¿Meses o para siempre?

Los proveedores dedican su tiempo a enseñar y ver a estos niños crecer todos los días. Tenemos que tener licencia y mantenernos en cumplimiento. Pagamos al personal para que trabaje, trabajando largas horas, los proveedores están mal pagados y no reciben beneficios. ¿Qué sucede una vez que llego a la jubilación? ¿Qué pasa si me enfermo? Esto es muy preocupante y debe cambiar. Necesitamos ser reconocidos y tratados de manera justa. No somos niñeras, somos emprendedores. Estamos exigiendo tarifas más altas, beneficios de salud y 401K.

El cuidado infantil ha estado fuera del alcance de muchas familias debido a la falta de atención disponible y el alto precio. Esto se vio exacerbado por la pandemia cuando los programas de cuidado infantil cerraron, tanto temporal como permanentemente. A estos desafíos se ha sumado el hecho de que los trabajadores de cuidado infantil han estado abandonando el sector debido a los bajos salarios persistentes y la falta de beneficios. La inversión pública en cuidado infantil es desesperadamente necesaria para apoyar salarios dignos para los trabajadores de cuidado infantil y aliviar la escasez actual de opciones de cuidado infantil asequibles y confiables para las familias.