A former stay-at-home dad makes a plea for child care

When it comes to child care, I’ve seen it all.

My mom had child care in our home for more than 10 years while I was growing up. My wife and I have three children. The first two were in day care from the time they were babies. And then I was a stay-at-home dad for five years after our third child was born.

I’ve changed thousands of diapers. I’ve agonized with those parents who struggle to pay for child care out of their measly paychecks. I’ve walked out of work meetings I shouldn’t have so I wouldn’t have to pay a late fee for picking up my kids from day care. I’ve seen firsthand how exhausting it is to be a competent child care provider, day after day, month after month, year after year.

And that was 20 years ago. Before the cost of housing and child care in this state skyrocketed out of control.

Housing issues are deservedly on the forefront of Californians’ minds. But the median cost of child care in the ninecounty Bay Area has increased by 40 percent over the past four years. It’s becoming impossible for many of today’s parents to manage it all. That’s why one of the most important things the state can do is invest in its child care system. Especially for low-income families and child care providers trying to survive on salaries of less than $30,000 a year. Multiple studies show the long-term benefits are worth the expense.

Gov. Gavin Newsom gets it. He fulfilled a major campaign promise when he included a $2 billion investment in early childhood programs in his proposed 2019-20 state budget. In addition to pushing for universal preschool, his plan would significantly expand child care programs by adding more state-supported facilities. The governor’s proposal generated a lot of buzz in Sacramento. But if legislators want a blueprint for how to accomplish many of the governor’s goals, they should look to a draft report issued earlier this month by a California Assembly blue ribbon commission that was two years in the making.

The report, which will be finalized in April, lays out a 10year plan that would be implemented in phases, allowing the Legislature sufficient time to work out a dedicated funding source.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a longtime advocate of early childhood programs, created the commission out of frustration. Former Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed legislation expanding early childhood programs, citing budget concerns and the lack of a comprehensive, long-term strategy.

The Assembly panel is made up of six lawmakers and nine early childhood advocates, including the Bay Area’s Deborah Kong, former executive director of Preschool California and a program officer for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation; and Parvin Ahmadi, superintendent of the Castro Valley Unified School District.

“This is the first time a California governor has made early education a priority,” said Kong. “There is a critical window of opportunity for comprehensive change.”

The most significant goal of the commission would ensure that families at or below the state median income (roughly $80,000 for a family of four) would pay no more than 7 percent of their income on early care and education for children under the age of 6.

The commission advocates starting slow, with full subsidies for the most needy families in the first couple of years and gradually expanding access to meet the 10-year goal.

The commission report includes dozens of recommendations, including:

• Building additional child care centers throughout the state, targeting areas that are underserved.

• Raising the salaries for child care providers to attract and retain quality workers.

• Giving centers incentives to offer evening and weekend care.

• Eliminating barriers to aligning preschool and child care programs.

Parents understand intuitively the benefits of highquality child care programs. But studies in the last decade have quantified the difference it makes for children. Scientists tell us that that 90 percent of all brain growth happens in the first five years of life. That’s why it’s imperative that the child care they receive is top quality. California can’t hope to reach its full potential until its children are given the best opportunity to thrive.