(Sacramento) - California State Assemblymembers Miguel Santiago (D-Los Angeles) and Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher (D-San Diego) released the following statements after the passage of the 2017-2018 Budget:
“The increase in state minimum wage is a great achievement for California, but it's still not enough to afford child care -- the very thing that enables families to work,” said Assemblymember Miguel Santiago. "As a father of a three-year old and an infant, I know first-hand the importance of continuous and dependable childcare. Quality, stable programs shouldn’t be a luxury accessible only to those in the middle and upper classes; they should be a building block for our entire workforce. I have been working on this issue for years and I am incredibly proud that our budget includes provisions that protect working families.”
"We need to encourage work and advancement in the workplace for low income women, in particular. When a child gets ripped out of childcare because her mom gets a small promotion at work, or a parent has to choose between work and qualifying for childcare, the system is not working. This budget is a step towards fixing this dilemma,” Assemblywoman Gonzalez Fletcher said.
The 2017-18 California State Budget addresses two critical shortcomings in the state’s current federal Child Care Block Grant programs. Current law requires a quarterly assessment of eligibility for children enrolled in the programs. That means that parents are essentially required to re-enroll their children every three months. These reporting requirements place significant burdens on childcare providers as well, meaning many enrollment applications get backlogged.
Additionally, income eligibility requirements have not been adjusted in more than a decade, even though the minimum wage has been increased in that time. As a result, parents working full time in minimum wage jobs are priced out of the program’s income limits, perversely forcing parents to forgo full time work in order to maintain child care.
By removing these requirements, parents can stay in their jobs and children can receive the quality, affordable care they need while their parents are working.
Assemblymembers Santiago and Gonzalez-Fletcher introduced Assembly Bill 60 earlier this year to accomplish these very goals. Both are thrilled to see this priority adopted by both houses of the Legislature as part of the overall State Budget.
Assemblymember Miguel Santiago is the Chair of the Assembly’s Communications and Conveyance Committee and a member of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. He represents the 53rd District composed of the cities of Los Angeles, Huntington Park, and Vernon.
Assemblymember Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher is the Chair of the Assembly’s Appropriations Committee. She is also Chairwoman of the Select Committee on Women in the Workplace and Vice Chair of the California Latino Legislative Caucus. She represents the 80th District composed of the cities of
San Diego, Chula Vista, and National City.
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