California Bill Would Have State Help Cover Working Parents' Child Care Costs
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Child care advocates and lawmakers held a rally at the state Capitol on Wednesday in an effort to help working parents pay for child care.
Many of the parents CBS13 spoke to said they would love to go to work, but can't afford to do it.
"It's been many times I've been let go from jobs because I couldn't find child care," said child care advocate Shavone Brown.
Now she can afford childcare with a good paying job from the state. But years ago, it was a different story for the single mother of two.
So now, she and other child care advocates are pushing to ensure all families have access to quality and stable child care.
"We work and we talk to thousands of people across California trying to make them aware of the childcare issue," she said.
Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de Leon will be introducing the Raising Child Care Quality and Accessibility Act to lawmakers in an effort to make child care affordable.
A 2014 report by Child Care Aware shows the average cost of child care in the United States can be more than $14,000 a year, and that's just for an infant. It can cost more than $12,000 for a preschooler.
Most of the parents struggling are low-income single moms, like Brown. She says many times she was forced to ask family members to watch her children while she worked, but had to leave a job when there was a schedule conflict.
Moms at Wednesday's rally are hoping future legislation will keep them on the job.
"That means that we have women who's contributing to the coffers of the state of California because they're working and that's what its all about," de Leon said.
Supporters of the legislation say they have not determined how the child care will be paid for, and they are still working on the details before it is introduced to the legislature.