Kaitlyn Hudson wants all parents to be able to dream big. The parent leader spoke at a recent Budget Subcommittee Hearing about the importance of freezing family fees and drew from her own experience of how she was able to invest in her family instead of paying a fee.
“When I was told I did not have to pay my family fee until July 2022, I was so thrilled and was able to enroll myself into the Spring Semester of community college, something I have dreamed about for a long time. Freezing Family Fees allowed me to dream big and finally pursue my dream of getting my degree.”
Kaitlyn Hudson, Parent Leader
The saved fee expenses also allowed Hudson to enroll her son in full-time preschool and daughter in a gymnastics class. Hudson, like many parents in California, lives on a tight budget. Fee waivers allow her and other parents to provide opportunities for their children to help them thrive.
Without a budget that extends the freeze on family fees, those opportunities may soon be stripped away. Hudson is worried. “If I have to start paying my $374 family fee again, I will have to drop back to part time care for my son, take my daughter out of the gymnastics she LOVES and scramble to have enough to pay for the costs of staying in college myself.”
Every family deserves consistent support and opportunity. An extension of the family fee waiver, an expansion of child care slots to reduce waitlists, and a raise to the reimbursement rate to support providers taking care of children can provide the security families need. “As a parent these are the moments we hope for the moments we dream about providing for our kids!”
