On April 10, 2020, Mayor Garcetti launched the L.A. Emergency Child Care Connection to provide child care resources to essential employees of participating hospitals during the COVID- 19 crisis.

The Mayor's office has coordinated with the Mayor's Fund for Los Angeles and the Department of Recreation and Parks to establish the program.

There are three main components to the program:

  • A stipend of $100 per shift to help qualifying hospital employees pay for the type of child care that works best for them. The stipend may be used to help children stay at home or in the home of a trusted relative or neighbor. Participating hospitals must commit to making the full stipend available to all non-professional employees and prioritize low-wage workers.

  • Child care referrals. There will be free referrals to licensed providers in the community. This means access to three resources for finding childcare: CarinaCare, WeeCare, and the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles.

  • City Recreation Centers. Starting April 13, 2020 the City's Recreation and Parks Department will provide free care for children between the ages of 6 and 14 at City recreation centers located near participating hospitals. Each site will be open 7 days a week from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and will offer programming and meals and adhere to public health guidelines.

Hospitals already participating are White Memorial, California Medical Center and Northridge Medical Center. In addition, the City is partnering with Glendale Memorial Hospital to support staff with stipends and child care referrals.

The mayor's office is working to grow the list of participating hospitals and medical centers.

The Mayor's office has not specified how a hospital may qualify. Nor has the Mayor's office defined non-professional employees. However, the reference to non-professional employees and low wage workers would certainly include custodial, food service, and other lower wage earners. 

Hospitals within the City of Los Angeles may reach out to Steve Zimmer in the Mayor's office ( steve.zimmer@lacity.org or myr-emergencychildcare@lacity.org ) for more information.

The County of Los Angeles is also working on a similar program using funding from the CARES Act. Hospital employers may contact Rochelle Alley, Center for Strategic Partnerships at (571) 213-2935 for more information.

If you have any questions about the matters discussed in this issue of Compliance Matters, please call your firm contact at 818-508-3700 or visit us online at   www.brgslaw.com  .
 
 
Sincerely,
Richard S. Rosenberg
Katherine A. Hren
Linda B. Hurevitz
Ballard Rosenberg Golper & Savitt LLP