Press Release

Senator Limón and Assembly Majority Leader Reyes Call for Critical Child Care Investments at Stand for Children Day

(SACRAMENTO) – Ahead of the May Revise, Senator Monique Limón (D - Santa Barbara) and Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D - Colton) joined a coalition of parents, children and child care providers to call for critical investments in child care at the Stand for Children Lobby day. In February, Senator Limón and Majority Leader Reyes unveiled their plans to transform child care in California by increasing provider pay while eliminating unnecessary fees for families seeking child care. 

“For too long child care workers have been relegated to the margins of our policy discussions, resulting in low recruitment, dark classrooms, and parents in need of care,” said Senator Limón. “In order to serve the hundreds of thousands of children without care, we must improve provider pay and increase resources to the families that need it most. As the Legislature awaits the financial outlook in the May Revise, the Assembly Majority Leader and I remain hopeful that California will work to create a care system that values and prioritizes providers, children and families.” 

“Addressing access to affordable childcare is one of the most impactful economic and social actions we can take to support California Families,” said Majority Leader Reyes.  “A budget is a statement of your priorities. As we enter a critical point in the legislature’s budget negotiations with the administration, it is imperative that we make clear that we are prioritizing supporting a childcare system that leaves no one behind. I’m proud to stand with our providers and families on behalf of the children who will benefit from a stable child care system.” 

Immediately following the press conference, Parent Voices held the “People’s Hearing,” where their youth members served as “Senators” and received testimony from Legislators and community members on how they would transform child care. Providers and parents also shared how the state can provide resources to families and providers alike.

“It seems criminal to me that the state has been subsidizing the cost of child care on the backs of low-paid women of color, either by charging hundreds of dollars per month from families who  need child care and cannot afford it or by unjustly paying poverty wages to child care providers. We are thankful that Senator Limón and Majority Leader Reyes are seeking solutions that connect the affordability needs of families with the dignified wages needed by child care workers, they are inseparable,” said Christina Garcia, a mother of 4 from Marin County.

As the Legislature awaits the financial outlook for the 2023-2024 State Budget in the May Revise, the coalition remains hopeful that President Biden’s recent Executive Order, which seeks to fund child care reform and infuse the care economy with more workers, could open the doors for California to lead the nation in child care reform. In 2021, Governor Newsom approved funding in the State Budget to increase the number of available child care slots, but due to a lack of care providers many of those classrooms remain dark, highlighting the need for more child care providers. 

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Monique Limón represents the 19th Senate District, which includes Santa Barbara, Ventura, Goleta, Buellton, Carpinteria, Guadalupe, Lompoc, Santa Maria, Solvang, Camarillo, Fillmore, Ojai, Oxnard, Santa Paula, and Port Hueneme. She currently serves as the Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, Chair of the Senate Banking and Financial Institutions Committee, and Chair of the Senate Select Committee on the Nonprofit Sector.

Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes is the Majority Leader of the California State Assembly, representing Assembly District 50, which includes the cities of Colton, Fontana, Loma Linda, Ontario, Rancho Cucamonga, Redlands and San Bernardino, as well as unincorporated Bloomington

Contact: christina.montoya@sen.ca.gov