Banner ad


Home > View

State Budget Update: Governor’s Child Care Cuts

May 24, 2010
 		 Printer-friendly version
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's May Revise budget includes two proposals that could decimate state child care in California. In addition to a plan to discard almost all of the State Department of Education's Child Care and Development Services, the budget proposes to eliminate CalWORKs, which includes child care resources for parents returning to work or school. The combined cuts would save the state an estimated $2.8 billion, but result in the loss of child care for thousands of families, as well as the loss of vital jobs and matching federal funds.    

A recent report to legislators noted that more than 435,000 children are currently enrolled in state-supported child care programs. The governor's proposal would reduce 142,000 of those child care slots by eliminating CalWORKs child care and massively reducing general child care support. Only the state preschool program would remain intact under the proposal.   

Cutting state child care would also result in the loss of crucial jobs. Under the current proposal, an estimated 130,000 child care providers state-wide would be affected, with 62,000 childcare centers at risk of closure. According to the California Child Care Resource and Referral Network, child care providers in California are already struggling to survive in this economy. 

Ending child care assistance could also result in California losing federal funding. California currently receives an estimated $3.7 billion in matching funds for CalWORKs, and another $660 million in federal dollars for child care funding. With the proposal to decimate both programs, the state risks losing billions of dollars in federal matching funds.

State legislators attacked the proposal during a budget committee hearing last week.  Assemblymember Sandré Swanson (D-Oakland) noted that, with the accompanying economic losses, "This becomes a loser in a lot of ways." Budget committee members subsequently rejected the proposed cuts.

Does your organization provide state-funded child care?  First 5 LA would like to hear from you about the potential impact child care funding cuts would have on your services, your centers, and your families. Please post your stories in our "comments" section, or email Ruel Nolledo at, RNolledo@First5LA.org.

Resources:

‹‹Back to this week's Monday Morning Report  



Comments

Thu, 04/07/2011 - 11:36 — Anonymous

Not all are abusing this system

It's upsetting to read the close minded comments of people who think that this system is used only by dead beat parents who abuse the program. I know a couple who got married, waited until they could afford to have a child and then were devastated by the economic downturn. This program enables them to work the same hours for minimum wage because their previous job (of many years) was lost due to plant closure. They choose to do this so they do not have to rely on other programs such as WIC, Medi-Cal and so forth. As an employer, I see people who deserve this getting it taken away while others, who have a decent 2 income household, stay single so they can claim one income and take advantage of all programs. Instead of punishing those who qualify, investigations should be made into those who are abusing it and THEY should be punished.

Post new comment

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
CAPTCHA
This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.