CA’s Largest-to-Date Investment in Child Care, Increasing Provider Pay and Lowering Fees for Families, Featured at White House Event

California’s groundbreaking child care investment in the 2023-24 state budget, which offers free child care or preschool to many families and increases child care workers’ pay, was featured today at a special event at the White House. Convened by the Biden-Harris Administration, the event included lawmakers from around the nation. State Senator Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, chair of the Senate Budget Committee and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus, was a featured speaker.

California’s investment in child care totals about $6.5 billion, including $2.9 billion in new funds this year. It was included in the 2023-24 state budget, signed into law last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom. This largest-to-date investment will greatly reduce child care and preschool costs for low- and middle-income families, while also providing record-funding pay increases to child care providers.

“I was deeply honored to be invited by the Biden-Harris Administration to talk about California’s nation-leading efforts to make child care more affordable and ensure that child care providers are paid better,” said Sen. Skinner. “With the pandemic closure of schools, child care facilities, and other services, many parents and child care staff left the workforce, and many have not yet returned. As we all know, child care is essential to maintaining a strong economy; without it, many parents can’t go to work, exacerbating our employers’ workforce shortages. That’s why child care funding was a top priority this year for the governor and the Legislature, enabling this historic investment to lower child care costs for families and ensure we can retain child care staff.”

California’s budget this year includes a $2.9 billion increase in funding over two years for child care providers and state preschools. This funding increase, in turn, enabled Gov. Newsom and child care providers to recently reach a record-setting contract on pay raises and first-in-the-nation retirement pay for child care workers.

California’s child care investment this year was a budget priority championed by the Legislative Women’s Caucus. This year’s state budget also authorizes child care providers and state preschools to forgive all child care fee debt that families owe from the past.

California’s accomplishments in child care this year build on the Biden-Harris American Rescue Plan, which made free child care for low-income families possible during the pandemic. California’s successes are also the product of long-term advocacy by child care workers and providers, family and children advocates, and the Women’s Caucus. In addition, Gov. Newsom and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom made child care, early care, and early education a high priority.

“Coming out of the pandemic, when we saw that some child care programs were not reopening, we knew we had to face the problem head-on. Child care is absolutely essential. Families have to have child care to return to the workplace. Our entire economy depends on it,” Sen. Skinner added. “I want to thank Gov. Newsom, our Senate and Assembly leadership, the Women’s Caucus, and our child care community for creating this year’s historic agreement. And I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration for the recognition California’s child care program received today in our nation’s capital.”

Today’s White House event also featured First Lady Dr. Jill Biden as the closing speaker.

Sen. Nancy Skinner represents the 9th Senate District and is chair of the Senate Budget Committee and the California Legislative Women’s Caucus.