Our Campaigns

2023

AB596 (Reyes):

• Eliminates family fees for those making less than 75% of SMI and begins charging 1% of income when they make above 75% of SMI; pays providers based on the true cost of care; makes permanent “hold harmless” which means a provider is paid based on the maximum number of children they can enroll, not just daily attendance.

SB380 (Limón):

• Eliminates family fees for those making less than 75% of SMI and begins charging 1% of income when they make above 75% of SMI; pays providers based on the true cost of care; makes permanent “hold harmless” which means a provider is paid based on the maximum number of children they can enroll, not just daily attendance.

AB 310 (Arambula): 

• Reimagining the CalWORKs program: Eliminates county penalties if they don’t meet WTW work participation rates and also eliminates all non-federally required sanctions that impact families. Reforms the welfare to work sanctions by capping the sanction amount to 1% of the adult’s portion, limiting sanction to one month, and enables parents to cure sanctions at any time.

SB 227 (Durazo):

• Ensures all workers, regardless of immigration status can access unemployment benefits

2022

AB 92 (Gomez-Reyes): 

• Affordable Child Care Family Fees Act. This bill will permanently eliminate family fees for all families earning below 75% of SMI and charge no more than 1% of a families income for parents making between 75-85% of SMI

AB 2847 (Eduardo Garcia):

• This legislation will create the Excluded Workers Pilot Program, a two-year program that would provide funds to undocumented workers who’ve lost their job or had their hours reduced.

SB 951 (Durazo):

• This bill will increase the weekly wage replacement rate for Paid Family Leave (PFL) and state disability insurance (SDI) to make them accessible and affordable to all of California’s families.

2021

AB 92: California can fund our child care system, but instead relies on child care fees paid by families of color (mostly mothers) who utilize subsidized child care, are low-paid, and who can least afford it. AB 92 heals the harm of an unjust child care family fees system that creates racist outcomes by temporarily waiving family fees through October 2022, followed by an equitable sliding scale.

Learn more about AB 92 here.

2020

SB 1383 (Jackson)Ensuring Job Protection for Paid Family Leave Act extends job protection to 6 million more workers when they take time to bond with a new child, care for a seriously ill family member, or heal from their own serious health condition. The bill was signed into law by Governor Newsom.

2019

AB 194: (Gomez-Reyes) Building Equitable Futures For All Act. Sponsored by Parent Voices, Child Care Law Center, CA Child Care Resource & Referral Network, Child Care Resource Center, CAPPA. ECE Coalition Priority Bill

SB 321: A Strong Start for CalWORKs Families Act Sponsored by Parent Voices, Child Care Law Center, SEIU/UDW

2018

AB 60 Child Care Protections for Working Families Sponsored by Parent Voices and Child Care Law Center. Passed both houses with unanimous bipartisan support 80–0; Vetoed by the Governor for cost pressures.

2017

AB 273: (Aguiar-Curry)Unlocking Opportunities for Families Sponsored by Parent Voices, Women’s Foundation of CA-Women’s Policy Institute-Signed by the Governor in Oct 2017!

AB 60: (Santiago and Gonzalez) Child Care Protections for Working Families
Sponsored by Parent Voices, Child Care Law Center, and First 5 CA-Passed the Assembly by unanimous bipartisan support 80–0; It was held in Committee because the provisions of AB 60 were implemented through the State Budget.

2016

AB 2150 (Santiago, Weber, and Gonzalez) Child Care Protections for Working Families Sponsored by Parent Voices and Child Care Law Center-Passed the Assembly by unanimous bipartisan support 80–0; Passed Senate Education Committee 9–0; Held in Senate Appropriations due to cost.

2022-2023 Final Outcomes

Child Care Spaces

As part of the 2022-2023 Budget agreement, funding for new child care center spaces and child care vouchers in CDSS child care programs are as follows:

• Child care spaces: $22.5 million for a total of about 993 new spaces
• Child care vouchers: $247.3 million for a total of about 22,165 new vouchers
• $992 million was included to pay annual costs for the child care spaces approved in 2021-2022
• $896.9 million for a total enrollment of about 43,406 children in child care

Family Fee Waivers

• Family fees are waived through June 30, 2023!
• $136 million to waive family fees for CDSS child care programs
• 21.3 million to waive family fees for California State Preschool Program

Child Care Provider Benefits

The Child Care Providers – United (CCPU) won the following benefits for the child care provider community:

• $352 million Child Care provider stipends for providers serving children with subsidies

CCPU Health and Retirement Benefits

• $100 thousand contributions to create a health care benefits trust
• $100 million contributions to the health care benefits trust after it is established
• $40 thousand contribution to design and conduct a survey for retirement need
• $100 thousand contribution to establish a retirement benefits trust
• Providers will be reimbursed based on enrollment rather than attendance
• Providers have an additional 16 paid non-operational days for use for COVID-19 until June 30, 2023

2021-2022 Final Outcomes

2020–2021 Final Outcomes

The final budget utilizes CARES Act funds to:

• Provide $73 million for essential worker child care vouchers
• Provide $62.5 million for child care one-time provider stipends for AP and CalWORKS providers
• Provide $62.5 million to pay providers for all children enrolled regardless of attendance (hold harmless)
• Extend the $50 million for Emergency Vouchers through September 30, 2021
• Provide $8 million to extend family fee waivers through June 30, 2020
• Restored the 60-month TANF eligibility clock
• Majority of ECE programs move to the Department of Social Services (Part day and full day preschool remain at the Department of Education)

Due to COVID’s devastating impact on child care, we joined ECE advocates to win an additional $110 million to freeze family fees and support child care providers

2019–2020 Final Outcomes

• $143.3 million additional funds to provide 12,545 new affordable child care spaces
• $50 million in one-time GF for 3,086 spaces in child care centers.
• $159 million additional funds for all three stages of CalWORKs child care
• $56.4 million Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and GF in 2019–20 and $70.5 million ongoing to give an additional 3,724 children in the CalWORKs program immediate, full-time, and continuous Stage 1 child care.
• $50 million in GF for rate increases in the After School Education and Safety Program (ACES).
• $125 million in GF for 10,000 new full-day California State Preschool Program (CSPP)

2018–19 Final Outcome

• $220.4 million to fund 13,407 new Alternative Payment Program voucher spaces.11,307 CCDBG-funded vouchers start on July 1, 2018, using $204.6 million in CCDBG funds over a two year period. The vouchers will expire July 1, 2020, unless the increased federal funding continues. 2,100 General Fund slots begin September 1, 2018, and are ongoing. ($15.833 million General Fund (non-Proposition 98); $204.6 million CCDBG).
• $167 million one-time funds for the Inclusive Early Education Expansion Program. This will fund one-time competitive grants for infrastructure to high need school districts to create inclusive ECE classrooms. (Proposition 98).
• $114 million to fund increased caseload and higher reimbursement rates for all three stages of CalWORKs child care. (General Fund; federal TANF and CCDBG).
• $54 million to fund a 2.71% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) for all nonCalWORKs child care programs and the state preschool program. ($30 million Proposition 98; $24 million General Fund).
• $48 million to increase the Standard Reimbursement Rate (SRR) by 2.8%. Combined with the COLA above, the SRR increase for this year is 5.6%. ($32 million Proposition 98; $16 million General Fund).
• $39.7 million to increase the Standard Reimbursement Rate (SRR) adjustment factors for infants, toddlers, children with exceptional needs, and children with severe disabilities. (General Fund).
• $38 million to annualize the Regional Market Rate (RMR) increase from last year’s adoption of the 2016 RMR Survey, and to make the hold harmless provisions permanent. This includes $24 million to annualize the cost of adopting the 75th percentile of the updated 2016 Regional Market Rate Survey as of January 1, 2018. It also includes $14 million to make the hold harmless provisions permanent. ($33 million General Fund; $5million federal funds).
• $21 million to annualize the Emergency Child Care Bridge Program cost. This funds short-term child care vouchers in participating counties for children in out-of-home placements, and navigators based in the local resource and referral agencies. ($11 million General Funds; $10 million Title IV-E).
• $18 million to add 2,959 full-day slots in the state preschool program, and annualize costs of slots added April 1, 2018. These slots were part of the multi-year plan in the 2016–17 budget agreement. (Proposition 98).

2017–18 Final Outcome

• $25 million to update income guidelines and adopt twelve-month eligibility!!! Read our press release.
• Funding for 2,959 full day state preschool slots administered by Local Education Agencies. If they don’t spend the money, it can be used by non-LEAs for part-time preschool;
• Restore the 5% “paused” increase to this year’s Standard Reimbursement Rate paid to contracted child care centers and preschools, and provide an additional 6.16% increase for this year;
• $42.2 million to increase the Regional Market Rate Reimbursement to child care providers serving low-income families;
• Annualizes last year’s increase, and updates the rate to the 2016 Regional Market Rate Survey, effective January 1, 2018;
• $15 million to fund emergency child care for foster children, beginning Jan 1, 2018 and $31 million ongoing to establish a voluntary county program that would provide emergency vouchers and $5 Million to the R&R’s for navigation services for families;
• Title 22 regulations and staffing ratios still apply to LEA-administered preschools. Establish a stakeholder group, led by the LAO, to examine health and safety regulatory requirements under Title 22, and to report back to the Legislature by March 2018.

2016–17 Final Outcomes

Governor Jerry Brown signed the 2016–2017 budget bill which included a $145 million investment this year, building up to over $500 million over the next 4 years. The 2016–2017 spending plan:

• Increases Regional Market Rates to the 75th percentile of the 2014 survey as of January 1, 2017.
• Increases Licensed Exempt Rates from 65 percent to 70 percent of the Family Child Care Home Rate as of January 1, 2017.
• Increases Standard Reimbursement Rates by 10 percent across-the-board effective January 1, 2017.
• Provides $100 million in Proposition 98 funding for 8,877 additional full-day State Preschool Slots to be phased in over 4 years. Specifically, $7.8 million in 2016–17, $39.6 million in 2017–2018, $73 million in 2018–19, and $100 million in 2019–20.
• Repeals the CalWORKS Maximum Family Grant rule, which prohibited a grant increase when a child was born to a parent already receiving CalWORKS.