5/13/22
On May 13th, Governor Newsom released his May Revise of his proposed California budget for 2022-23.
The May Revise gives California a strong starting point toward a more equitable child care system, and Child Care Law Center commends Governor Newsom for proposing to waive family fees for one year through June 30, 2023.
“Giving families a break from paying child care fees will help thousands of families overcome the hardship of the pandemic. It is a significant step for racial justice. These fees have hurt Black, Brown, and immigrant families for many years, ” said Laurie Furstenfeld, Co-Director of Legal & Legislative Advocacy at the Law Center.
While the Law Center is thrilled to see this commitment to guaranteeing child care for all families, we are disappointed that Governor Newsom is not extending the waiver for two years, as allowed by federal relief funds. Governor Newsom’s proposed budget still falls short of ensuring decent pay, health care, and retirement benefits for child care providers. With a $97 billion state surplus, we have the funding to guarantee these provisions for children, families, and child care providers, and urge the Governor to do so in the final California Budget.
Child Care Provisions in Governor Newsom’s May Revise:
- Waives family fees for one year, through June 30, 2023
- Assures that child care providers and preschools will be fully paid based on enrollment
- Infrastructure Grant Program for child care providers to pay for renovations and repairs at their family child care homes, with $200.5 million in funding.
- Provides 36,000 additional child care spaces for publicly funded child care, totaling 145,000 when combined with spaces from the 2021 Budget Act.
- Follows through on its commitment to give a full year of reimbursement rate increases for child care providers, with $413 million.
You can read the full May Revise here.
What’s Next:
The State Senate has already shared its priorities. They propose to spend $8 billion of the General Fund surplus to help middle-class and struggling families in a package that includes:
- $1 B for child care (better pay for providers, improved benefits for providers, stabilize state preschool and continue to waive family fees)
- Funding for the minimum CalEITC tax credit
- Increase in the amount of CalWORKs grants
- Improved foster care services
The full Senate Budget Proposal is here.
The Legislative Women’s Caucus has also prioritized child care, pledging to fight for $1.9 B for child care providers’ wages, health care, and retirement plans, waive family fees and support child care infrastructure.
In the next few weeks, lawmakers will hold budget hearings and reach a compromise between the priorities of Governor Newsom, the Senate, and the Assembly.
How you can take action:
Child Care Providers United invites allies to join the rally to tell Governor Newsom to make good on his commitment to providers:
Wednesday, May 18, 2022
11:30 a.m.
Sheraton Hotel at the corner of J St. and 12th in Sacramento, CA
Family child care providers keep students learning and families working, they deserve the basics like retirement and affordable healthcare. But, only one in ten childcare providers have a retirement plan. This is not how we treat the backbone of our economy.
The Law Center, the ECE Coalition, and Child Care Providers United (CCPU) agree that the child care industry should offer quality middle class jobs with retirement and affordable healthcare. We can’t afford to let this workforce shrink. Join child care advocates as we tell legislators and Governor Newsom: child care providers need health care now!
