When will we realize that supporting women’s ability to work and excel is a key factor in lifting our state’s economy?
Since 2007, child care and support for single mothers and low-income families have taken devastating blows as California struggles to balance its budget. Cutting childcare forces many women to choose between taking care of their children or keeping a job.
Judy Patrick, our CEO, recently published an article that highlights this dilemma. Not only does Judy highlight the need for childcare, she also points out that funding childcare and early education is a smart economic investment for California. A recent study, “Economic Impacts of Early Care and Education in California” found that, “every dollar spent on Early Childcare and Education (ECE) yields $2 in economic output for the California economy.” Judy is not alone in her efforts to highlight the economic advantages of ECE funding. Our grant partner Parent Voices directed us to this report and is already using it to inform its advocacy efforts.
And Nancy Pelosi said of ECE in a recent Washington Post article, “One of the great pieces of unfinished business [in the US] is high-quality child care; I wonder why we just can’t do that.”