'We Have Been Going Unrecognized': Struggling Childcare Workers Call On State For Financial Help
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) — Childcare providers in Los Angeles are sounding the alarm on a childcare system they say is in crisis.
The workers held a drive-by rally Wednesday in downtown Los Angeles calling for urgent action from Gov. Gavin Newsom to help keep their doors open.
Without immediate financial assistance, childcare providers said they would start seeing pay cuts Thursday when the state is set to stop its reimbursement plan that covers the loss for families who have to keep children at home.
"I'm working so others can be able to get out into the community and provide services, so our firefighters could be there, so our doctors could be there, so our nurses could be there, so we could have what we need," one worker said. "We have been going unrecognized."
More than 5,000 childcare providers have been forced to close since the start of the coronavirus pandemic. Without assistance from the state, many will likely never reopen.