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The hearing will start off the same way as they usually do which is with an underscoring of the need for childcare. Review of the recent investments too will be presented. Following that will be the same thing all of us know and see every single day, that real access to child care for families is dearth. For the very poorest of families who need access to childcare in hours that both meet the need of the working parent as well as the nurturing and learning needs of babies and children, the word that comes to mind is SCARCITY.
What I am most curious to hear will be the third panel that will focus on the cost of providing child care. During this panel, you will hear from representatives from providers, centers and community partners that will share real world impact and data of the devastation of the existing workforce, the greying out of childcare provider pool as well as the poverty earnings that family child care home providers and centers-based early care educators in California earn. Another word, SHAMEFUL.
Every year, there is talk and more talk. This year, it seems that childcare may actually be elevated above lip-service as a real priority. The Legislative Women's Caucus and individual legislators are making their voices louder that action and funding to improve rates and the availability of child care must be done.
Every single one of us must commit to demand like we have never demanded before that childcare be funded now. My final on getting reimbursement rates increased, UNCOMPROMISING.
2023 State Budget
To help support you staying on top of the 2023-24 budget process and materials connected to the budget, CAPPA is hosting all of the materials in one place.
Click here to access CAPPA's Budget Page. NOTE: CAPPA has created an Excel document to help you track budget actions. Click here.
Follow the above links to find more details about each hearing. If you would like to provide input or testify at a budget hearing, please check on the respectiveSenateand Assembly Committee pages to see if they allow for remote testimony.
California State Legislature:
IMPORTANT DATES, DEADLINES & BILLS
Upcoming dates and deadlines to be aware:
February 17 - Deadline to introduce bills
February 20 - Presidents' Day
March 30 - Spring Recess
Informational Hearings:
February 15, 2023 @ 9:30 am - ASM Joint Oversight Hearing - Coordinating California's Homelessness Services: 2023 Landscape
If you would like to provide input or testify at a hearing, please check on the respectiveSenateand Assembly Committee pages to see if they allow for remote testimony.
Click hereto find a full list of Senate Committee chairs and assignments. The Assembly Committee chairs and leadership can be found here, and the committee assignments can be viewed using this link.
2023 State Legislation:
The following bills of interest have been introduced. You can follow these bills and more on CAPPA's on our website. As more legislation is introduced, bills of interest will be profiled and hosted on CAPPA's State Legislation page.
Child Care and Early Education
AB 14 (Davies) Income Tax: Childcare Savings and Investment Accounts.
To view all the bills that the Assembly and Senate introduced in the past week, click here.
BILL OF THE WEEK
AB 11 (Jackson) Affordable California Commission.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Assemblymember Corey A. Jackson, DSW, MSW, was elected to the California State Assembly in November of 2022 to represent the 60th Assembly District.
Assemblymember Jackson served on the Riverside County Board of Education in 2020 and represented portions of the cities of Riverside, Moreno Valley, Perris, and the unincorporated community of Mead Valley. He also served as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of SBX Youth and Family Services who’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty and violence through mentoring, education, and community organizing.
Follow this link to read Assemblymember Jackson's full biography.
If you would like to contact Assemblymember Jackson's office, fill out this form.
Updates From Our Partners
HHS Launches the First National Early Care and Education Workforce Center
The National Early Care and Education Workforce Center’s research and technical assistance activities will work together to build a career pipeline for the early care and education workforce, including support for pursuing credentials and degrees while maintaining the sector’s diversity and identifying and implementing sustainable ways to increase workforce compensation and benefits.
The Administration for Children and Families within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) awarded a cooperative agreement to establish and operate the National Early Care and Education Workforce Center for the next 5 years to Child Trends, the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, BUILD Initiative, ZERO TO THREE, the University of Massachusetts–Boston, and the University of Delaware.
Question: How are child care providers reimbursed if they accept vouchers from parents?
Answer: California reimburses subsidized child care providers who accept vouchers to help pay for care based on a Regional Market Rate (RMR) Survey that measures prices charged by child care providers and paid by parents within a given child care market region. The median hourly pay for a California child care worker in 2019 was $13.43, according to data from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at the University of California Berkeley. The existing RMR cited to reimburse child care providers is from 2018 and based on data from 2017. As an aside, California’s minimum wage in 2017 was $11.00 per hour. As of January 1, 2023, California minimum wage is now $15.50 per hour.
Federal Update
Federal Update: National Woman's Law Center
Last week, President Biden named child care and early learning in his State of the Union address:
Let’s also make sure working parents can afford to raise a family with sick days, paid family and medical leave, and affordable child care that will enable millions more people to go to work.
Let’s also restore the full Child Tax Credit, which gave tens of millions of parents some breathing room and cut child poverty in half, to the lowest level in history.
We look forward to continuing to work with the Biden Administration to ensure that child care and early learning investments remain a top priority.
Right now, we are focused on securing the highest possible number for child care and early learning programs in President Biden’s FY2024 budget - thank you to Reps. Bonamici and Jacobs for leading this House Democrats letter to the Administration: Bonamici, Jacobs Lead Call for Investment in Child Care, Early Childhood Education | Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (house.gov), now expected to be released March 9th. We continue to educate Congressional staff on the need for additional investment in child care and early learning programs, especially as states are running out of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds, with some expiring in September of this year. We are also closely tracking the debt ceiling negotiations and potential cuts to federal child care and early learning programs.
Please feel welcome to reach out with any questions or opportunities for collaboration as we begin the 118th Congress.
Webinar - Reset and Renew: What Aligned Campaigns Learned from Setbacks
From Alliance for Early Success and the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative/Raising Child Care Fund:
Making major social change requires strategy, power-building, and persistence—especially in the aftermath of campaigns that were not successful. We hope you'll join the Alliance, the Early Childhood Funders Collaborative, and the Raising Child Care Fund for an inspiring discussion about life after a setback.
Feb 16, 2023, 02:00 PM in Eastern Time
During the national discussions about COVID response, Build Back Better, and the Inflation Reduction Act, early childhood issues came the closest they have in decades to winning significant public investment, but were not successful. At the same time, state-based campaigns on early education, reproductive justice, and access to health insurance saw precedent setting successes. Movement leaders say that organizing after a loss can be just as powerful as organizing after a win.
Panelists will include:
Barbara Chow, Director, Education, Heising-Simons Foundation
Erica Gallegos, Co-Director, Child Care for Every Family Network; Former Policy Director, Ole’ New Mexico
Christy Goldfuss, Chief Policy Impact Officer, National Resources Defense Council
Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, National Women’s Law Center
Maurice Mitchell, Director, Working Families Party
Register now, so you don't miss this inspiring discussion.
Blog - As Federal Relief Funding for Early Care and Education Fades, States Step In
From Child Care Aware of America (CCAoA) and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC):
While ongoing, substantial, and sustainable federal investment is necessary, this blog is intended for state policymakers to help them prioritize state investment in child care and early learning as well. In the blog, we share information from NAEYC and CCAoA’s most recent surveys and data briefs, highlight states who have made ECE policy progress last year, and share broad policy considerations for 2023 that address states’ role in stepping in, as federal child care relief dollars run out.
Blog - 2023 State Legislative Session Preview: Programs for Kids Get a Boost from State Leaders
States are entering 2023 in a historically healthy position, able to correct years of underfunding by investing in programs and services for kids. In our new blog post, we highlight the forward-thinking state leaders - Democrat and Republican alike - who are proposing investments for children, youth, and families in infant and toddler child care, universal pre-K, and early intervention programs.
Blog - State Opportunities to Advance Early Childhood Education
With new legislative sessions starting up, Nicole Hsu and Aaron Loewenberg highlight four states worth watching over the next two years that are working to expand access to high-quality early childhood education.
Webinar - Family, Friend, and Neighbor Policies and Supports Across the Nation
From the Build Initiative:
There is a growing recognition that legally unregulated home-based child care (HBCC), also referred to as care provided by family, friends, and neighbors (FFN), is the most common type of child care in the US. While families from all socioeconomic, racial, and cultural backgrounds are likely to rely on FFN care at some point, it is especially common among immigrant, refugee, and dual language learner (DLL) families as well as families with low incomes, families with parents working nontraditional schedules, families living in rural areas, families with children with disabilities and special needs, and families with infants and toddlers. The documented decrease in the number of regulated HBCC programs shows that families of infants and toddlers are likely relying more and more on unregulated FFN care.
Join usas Katie Kenyon presents findings from the soon-to-be-released brief, State Scan of Family, Friend, and Neighbor (FFN) Policies and Supports.
You can join our virtual Coffee Chats to learn more about the project and ask questions. At each session, attendees will be entered into a drawing for a gift card!
From Melissa Boteach, National Women’s Law Center:
"Let’s also make sure working parents can afford to raise a family with sick days, paid family and medical leave, and affordable child care that will enable millions more people to go to work."
That’s what President Biden said about care during the State of the Union last night and I agree. Too often caregivers are forced to make difficult decisions about caring for themselves or their loved ones, whether they are young children, aging parents, or family members with disabilities.
It doesn’t have to be that way. Congress has the opportunity to build a better system of care for all.
People who give and receive care in the United States are at a breaking point. Women and families continue to deal with an underfunded care system that does not value the essential work they do each day. This lack of support exacerbates inequalities for women, who are more likely to be caregivers and are too often pushed out of the workforce when jobs and care conflict. Black and brown women feel this tension most acutely, as they make up the majority of the underpaid care workforce while also needing to care for their own families.
Imagine what our communities would look like if we invested in high-quality and affordable child care and home and community-based services, guaranteed paid leave for all, and secured better pay and benefits for care workers. One thing is certain—women, especially women of color, would benefit tremendously.
Spread the Word - Strolling Thunder 2023 Deadline Extended
From ZERO TO THREE:
We're Still Looking for Strolling Thunder 2023 Families
Extended Deadline: Completed interest forms are now due on February 17.
ZERO TO THREE is hosting Strolling Thunder on June 21, back in person on Capitol Hill. We will bring a parent or guardian and their child under the age of 3 from every state and Washington, D.C. to meet with their Members of Congress about their experience raising young children and what they need to support their baby’s healthy development. We are still looking for families! Do you or someone you know want to speak up for babies and families? No prior advocacy experience is necessary, and ZERO TO THREE will cover travel expenses.
Most reviewed federal bills this week:
1.H.Con.Res.9 [118th] Denouncing the horrors of socialism.
H.R.1280 [117th] George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2021
The continuing lack of access to high-quality and affordable child care has more than doubled its blow to the U.S. economy over the last five years, now costing $122 billion in lost earnings, productivity and revenue every year.
The top-line finding comes in a new assessment of the economic havoc wreaked by lack of child care from ReadyNation, a coalition of business executives focused on building a skilled workforce. The new total is $65 billion more annually than when the organization performed the assessments in 2018, prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Almost two-thirds of parents of infants and toddlers facing child care struggles reported being late for work or leaving work early, and more than half reported being distracted at work or missing full days of work,” wrote Sandra Bishop, ReadyNation’s chief research officer and author of the report. “An overwhelming 85 percent of primary caregivers said problems with child care hurt their efforts or time commitment at work.”
Low pay is the leading cause for the child care shortage in America today that has sent some parents home from work and stretched family budgets to the brink.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsreported that as of 2021, the child care provider annual wage was a mean average of $27,680 with an average hourly wage of $13.31.
Many people in the child care profession have shared the internal issues that come from lack of funding they receive. With the pressures of creating a successful course of education on such a limited budget, some schools are decreasing the number of actual school days, leaving Friday as a professional development day for teachers. The incentive is to increase employment applications with hopes that an emphasis on career development for teachers entices more people into the child care field.
The purpose of this Child Care Bulletin is to provide guidance and information to specified child care and development contractors regarding implementation of the provision in Senate Bill (SB) 1047 (Chapter 923, Statutes of 2022) related to categorical eligibility for child care and development services. Effective immediately, SB 1047 amended Welfare and Institutions Code (WIC) Section 10271 to extend eligibility for child care and development services to families in which a member of the family has been certified as eligible to receive benefits from certain means-tested government programs.
-CAPPA Weekly Connections Member Call. Email CAPPA for more information and to register.
Wednesday, February 15th:
-CCDD Training @ 10am: Building a Strong Foundation: A Contractor’s guide to audits, compliance and recordkeeping. Register Here.
Thursday, February 16th:
-Coalition on Human Needs Federal Connection Meeting @ 12pm. Join Here.
Friday, February 17th:
-Last Days for Legislative Bills to be introduced.
CAPPA is committed to supporting our field with a coordinated calendar. Click here to see current calendar of events. If you have an event to add, email CAPPA and it will be added.
The Weekly Good
An uplifting way to start the week, for those of us who need a break from the chaos that is our lives.
During this time where we are all stressed, it would be great to celebrate the positive. Each week we will celebrate everyday heroes, inspiring movements and great things happening in our field.
NCO Volunteer Network is providing free tax filing assistance through the Earn It! Keep It! Save It! program in Lake and Mendocino counties. Household income must be $70,000 or less to qualify.
Go Kids, Inc. was established in 1975 when it was awarded a grant from the City of Morgan Hill to provide early childhood education services and training opportunities for low-income women in Santa Clara County. Since its incorporation in 1978, the agency budget and service area have continued to grow, providing comprehensive child-development and family support services in Santa Clara, San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties.
Get to know them and the full scope of their work with thisAnnual Report, highlighting how they are supporting the needs of family child care providers and families in Santa Clara, San Benito, Monterey, and Santa Cruz counties.
Community based public and private Alternative Payment Programs (APPs) support the needs of working moms and dads with access to child care and other supports earmarked to lift families up from poverty. During the pandemic, these programs have distributed emergency essential worker child care vouchers, family child care and center stipends & PPE, diapers, food and clothing. Throughout California, these APPs may also support parental choice to CalWORKs Stages 2 & 3, preschool and center-based programs, general child care, After School Education and Safety (ASES), Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP), Family Child Care Home Education Networks (FCCHENs), transportation, behavioral & mental health services, respite, regional centers, health and safety, 21st Century, resource libraries, and Trustline.
Our commitment to you is to have scheduled at least once per week a call wherein we can all connect. As questions arise, forward them to CAPPA so that we can address them on these calls. Look for a weekly email to register. Recording and Q&A will also be posted on the Member's Only page.
Job Descriptions and Salary Information
CAPPA has collected more than 85 job descriptions from member agencies that you can view and use when you create your agency's next job posting!
Our Monday Morning Update supports our Early Learning & Child Care field with timely information about what is going on in California and nationally; as well as dates to be aware and upcoming events.
Our weekly Monday morning distribution is to more than 6,200 federal and state local agencies, resource and referrals, contractors, legislators and their staffs', centers, parents, providers, state departments and advocates.
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