SACRAMENTO – Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens), Chair of the California Legislative Women’s Caucus released the following statement in response to the California State Legislature’s bold and historic investment in ECE:
“Today, the California Assembly Budget Committee and Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee published their proposed budget plans, which are expected to be passed out of their respective committees later this week. Both plans include identical bold and historic investments in early childhood education (ECE) including 200,000 new child care spaces, updating the child care provider reimbursement rates with a $1.1 billion investment and cost of living adjustment, waiving family fees through 2023, and investing in child care workforce training and development. These bold actions mirror the requests made to budget leaders and the Governor in our letter on April 29, 2021.
We are grateful to budget leaders in the Legislature for honoring our request for significant investments in ECE. This investment is critical to our state’s recovery. Our state’s child care providers, an essential workforce largely dominated by women and women of color, have shown great tenacity and resourcefulness through this pandemic to continue serving working families. And as we have witnessed over the course of the pandemic, lack of access to child care was a key factor for many women who left their jobs. We must work together to support this essential workforce and the families that depend on their care. We thank Governor Newsom for his continued efforts to ensure every family has access to quality ECE and urge him to support the Legislature’s proposed funding plan for ECE.”
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 6.1.21 LWC Legislative Budget Proposal Statement.pdf | 384.37 KB |