Rep. Sara Jacobs Joins Local Parents and Providers to Call on Congress to Avoid the Child Care Cliff
Rep. Sara Jacobs (CA-51) joined local parents and child care providers today at the Toby Wells YMCA in Kearny Mesa to push Congress to address the looming child care cliff and pass her Child Care Stabilization Act. In one week, emergency child care funding that passed through the American Rescue Plan will expire if Congress fails to act, leaving 80,000 children across California without child care. Rep. Sara Jacobs’ bill would avert this crisis and invest $16 billion per year in Child Care Stabilization grants to states for the next five years.
Photos of Rep. Sara Jacobs’ Press Conference are Here
Rep. Sara Jacobs said, “If Congress fails to act, emergency child care funding will expire in just one week, making it even harder for San Diego parents to find and afford child care and for providers to earn a living wage. This child care cliff could impact thousands of child care providers in San Diego County, forcing parents to cut their hours or leave the workforce entirely to care for their children. That’s why I was so glad to join local parents and providers today to urge House Republicans to pass the Child Care Stabilization Act – a bill that I co-lead to ensure our providers have the stable funding they need to continue delivering high-quality care. I will keep fighting until every family in San Diego and across the country can access high-quality, affordable care that meets their needs.”
“This legislation would provide a critical safety net for our very fragile child care system in San Diego County, where there is only enough licensed capacity to serve 45% of children and families who are in need,” said Kim McDougal, Senior Vice President for the YMCA of San Diego County. “Without the Child Care Stabilization Act, our region's 3,400 family child care homes and 980 child care centers will lose access to core operating dollars which have been essential to keep their doors open, supporting economic infrastructure that retains employees in the workforce and provides stability for families in our community.”
Miren Algorri, a local family child care provider, said, “If we want to see the economy recover, we must invest in child care. We must invest in bills like the Child Care Stabilization Act, and we need more lawmakers like Congresswoman Jacobs to be brave enough to stand up for us and the children in our care.”
Alexis Hawkins, parent leader, Parent Voices San Diego, said, “It’s important that we fund childcare! The Childcare Stabilization Act is such a critical piece of legislation that we need to get passed so that Parents and Childcare Providers could not only better support their families but also live their purpose and contribute their talents so our economy could grow and prosper. Thank you to Congresswoman Sara Jacobs for her leadership on this issue; we are fortunate to have a Childcare Champion representing us in Congress!”
###