(Great personal story. Health care is such a pervasive issue in this country because the system is so broken. – promoted by David Dayen)
The Senate is expected to vote on a bill in the next few days that could give family child care providers a stronger voice for affordable, quality child care.
I became a family child care provider more than seven years ago because I saw how hard it was for parents to get child care, and I wanted to make a difference in my community. I wanted parents to be able to work their way out of poverty and support their families, and I wanted their children to get a better start on life. But for every child I have cared for, there are many more who aren’t getting the care they need. It’s getting harder and harder for parents to find and afford quality child care, while good providers are closing their doors because they can’t afford to stay in the profession.
Like the 90,000 other providers in California, I have no access to affordable health insurance though my work. After paying for educational materials, nutritious food, and other expenses for my child care, what’s left for my own family amounts to less than minimum wage.
We are often left unpaid for weeks of care we’ve provided to kids on the state’s child care assistance program, because of errors in paperwork or parent eligibility that are out of our control. For many providers, a loss like that means cutting corners to make ends meet. Sometimes, it means closing their doors altogether.
Providers in California have been working together to form a union, to make child care better for kids, more reliable for parents, and a better career for providers. But because we care for children in our own homes, rather than a child care center, we’re left out of labor laws and our voice isn’t heard.
Our bill, AB 1164, would give us the freedom to form our union and negotiate with the state to improve our profession. Please help us win our union and protect child care by asking your senator to vote yes.
Providers know what it takes to deliver affordable, quality child care. With a voice, we can stand up for the services kids and families need.
Rasiene Reece-Carter