AB 101 Moves to Governor Brown’s Desk for Signature

SACRAMENTO - Today AB 101 (J. Pérez and Steinberg), which will help create jobs in California’s child care system and give child care providers and parents a voice to speak up for the children and families they serve, passed in the Assembly after gaining Senate passage yesterday.

"This bill will enable thousands of California working families to stay employed or get back to work by ensuring that California’s child care system is efficient and productive," said Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles). "It’s time that child care providers and parents have a seat at the table when it comes to making choices about their children’s care."

"As a working mother, I know the importance of reliable, quality, and affordable child care. I know first-hand our child care system is a vital part of California’s economic well-being - a crucial support required for our state’s businesses and working families," said Senator Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa). "Unfortunately, it is fragmented and dysfunctional. It forces thousands of child care providers out of business each year and sends tens of thousands of families scrambling to find a reliable, sustainable replacement that - at times - puts their jobs at risk."

40,000 small business owners, mostly women, provide child care in a non-institutional setting yet have no voice in their workplace. They provide loving care for one-third of the more than 850,000 California children in licensed child care. But California’s broken child care system and budget crisis has forced 5,700 licensed child care providers to shut their doors last year alone. Payment for their services is often delayed, reduced or unpaid altogether - even though the banks that hold their mortgages, their utility providers, and other bills won’t wait.

"Child care providers are struggling," said Annie Thomas, a child care provider of 14 years. "But we’re not struggling with the weight of running a business or serving the families whose children we care for. We are struggling with a system that is not accountable. We need a seat at the table."

"Child care workers deserve a place at the table," said Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal (D-Long Beach). "It's a good way to ensure child care will always get a fair shake."

Website of Speaker John A. Pérez: www.asmdc.org/speaker

CONTACT: John Vigna (916) 319-2408