ALL OF US TOGETHER: Read on about how Assembly member Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), along with cosponsors GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and the Cradle to Career Coalition, are empowering community-based networks with the funding they need to join forces in the fight against poverty.

She says, “I am proud to coauthor the ‘It Takes a Village Act’. I have seen firsthand the benefits of this evidenced based approach to support coordinated community services.”

This beginning of the new year was launched the It Takes a Village Act bill and budget proposal earlier today. It Takes a Village would implement a place-based approach that centers on the needs of children and families in communities across California and ensure access to a quality continuum of wraparound services from cradle-to-career.

#ItTakesAVillageToRaiseAChild

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Scroll down to read further or read here:

Assemblymember Mia Bonta Launched “It Takes a Village Act” with GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and CA Cradle to Career Coalition

Assembly member Mia Bonta (D-Oakland), along with cosponsors GRACE, End Child Poverty California, and the Cradle to Career Coalition, virtually launched the It Takes a Village Act bill and budget proposal earlier today.

It Takes a Village would implement a place-based approach that centers on the needs of children and families in communities across California, and ensure access to a quality continuum of wraparound services from cradle-to-career. The legislation will be introduced later this week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted that communities with coordinated, place-based initiatives and service delivery are more resilient. Whether the next challenge California faces is due to climate change, a new infectious disease or economic recession, this proposal will make evidence-based investments in communities up and down the state. In light of another historic surplus, California must rebuild with coordinated neighborhood and regional services that can usher in a more vibrant and equitable future for all Californians,” said Assistant Speaker pro Tempore Bonta.

Assembly Majority Leader Eloise Gómez Reyes (D-San Bernardino) added, “Neighborhood-based programs, like the Community Action Partnership and Growing Inland Achievement in my district, have a demonstrated track record of helping children and families thrive. Combined with other programs, like Promise Neighborhoods and our Cradle to Career systems, they have the power to create real change for California families. But all too often, these networks lack the funding they need to coordinate their services for the greatest level of impact. This is why I am proud to be Principal Coauthor to Assemblymember Bonta’s ‘It Takes a Village Act,’ a bill that will strengthen our communities by creating partnerships and increasing communication across California’s regional networks. By establishing this grant program, Assemblymember

Bonta is empowering community-based networks with the funding they need to join forces in the fight against poverty.”

“I am proud to coauthor the ‘It Takes a Village Act’. I have seen firsthand the benefits of this evidenced based approach to support coordinated community services. Hayward Promise Neighborhood features a family education program for preschool to college, student success coaches in partnership with CSU East Bay, and healthy food access through the Alameda County Community Food Bank,” said Assembly member Bill Quirk (D-Hayward).

Shimica Gaskins, spokesperson for the CA Cradle to Career Coalition, said, “Promise Neighborhoods and Cradle to Career regional networks provide data-driven solutions to ensure that children and families receive the resources that they need. Both programs braid cross-sector resources, leverage community partnerships, and work towards systemic change by tackling the racial and economic inequities in our communities. We are proud that Assemblymember Mia Bonta is sponsoring the It Takes A Village Act to support and expand these critical programs.”

#ItTakesAVillageToRaiseAChild

OUR FUTURE TO LOOK FORWARD TO:  There are important efforts moving ahead in the Senate. GRACE/End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA), and Liberation in a Generation talk about the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act of 2022 (or SB 854). Read about the efforts being done and what this Act entails for our families, our community, and the future that we all deserve. Learn about why: “Baby bonds” aim to close the racial wealth gap and break cycles of intergenerational poverty by ensuring everyone has access to capital they can use to establish long-term financial stability. Scroll to read or read more here.

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California Anti-Poverty Organizations Applaud Legislation to Strengthen Safety Net for Children Impacted by COVID-19 and Lay Groundwork for “Baby Bonds”

GRACE, End Child Poverty in California and Liberation in a Generation Urge Lawmakers to Pass the Bill, Which Would Pave the Way for ‘Baby Bonds’ to Combat Generational Poverty and Income Inequality In the State

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SACRAMENTO, CA, January 10, 2022 – GRACE/End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA), and Liberation in a Generation – two anti-poverty organizations working in California – praise the introduction of the Hope, Opportunity, Perseverance, and Empowerment (HOPE) for Children Act of 2022 (or SB 854) by Senator Nancy Skinner today in the California State Senate. If passed, the Hope Accounts will offer up to $4,000 to children under age 10 and $8,000 for children 10- 18 in state-issued trust funds to low-income children who have lost a parent or guardian to COVID-19 and eligible foster youth. The bill would also lay crucial groundwork for the potential expansion of “baby bonds” in the future to support greater economic opportunity for children impacted by poverty.

“Baby bonds” aim to close the racial wealth gap and break cycles of intergenerational poverty by ensuring everyone has access to capital they can use to establish long-term financial stability. Nearly 2 million children in California were living in poverty in 2019 – the highest child poverty rate in the country and a reminder of the state’s stark economic disparities across racial lines. Those disparities were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic as low-income families (and especially families of color) grappled with soaring housing and food costs, lack of adequate support for transitions to remote work and school environments, and greater risk of exposure to and severity of the virus itself. However, the expansion of government social safety net programs in response to the pandemic proved successful in helping to alleviate poverty – slashing the child poverty rate by a third in 2020.

“The past two years have demonstrated the effectiveness of bold government action in reducing poverty in California,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO of GRACE and End Child Poverty California. “Intergenerational poverty and the loss of a parent or guardian can have significant impacts on a child’s development, wellbeing, and outcomes over the short- and long-term. We must close the racial wealth gap that disportionationaly prevents Black and Brown children from the opportunity to thrive. The Hope Accounts proposed are necessary to level the playing field for California’s children.”

“The Hope Act would be an important step towards the goal of ensuring every Californian has the access and support they need to build a healthy, wealthy, and safe future,” said Michael Tubbs, former mayor of Stockon, CA and founder of End Poverty in California. “But we can’t stop there. We should be working towards a future where kids don’t have to lose a parent in order to qualify for money that will give them access to the same range of choices that kids from wealthy families take for granted. Every child deserves a chance to pursue higher education, entrepreneurship, homeownership, and other asset-building opportunities when they grow up, and that’s what baby bond programs like this can ensure.”

Government-issued bond programs aren’t a new concept. Social Security has been helping to provide Americans with economic security in their retirement years for decades. Similarly, baby bonds would ensure that every child has access to a “seed fund” of capital they can use to invest in their future. Early studies show the promise of this type of direct intervention for “dramatically reducing” the racial wealth gap and helping families break out of generational cycles of poverty.

Intergenerational poverty in America is rooted in racist, classist and exclusionary policy choices that have created vast economic inequality and a racial wealth gap. Baby bonds are one of the best policy tools at our disposal to combat the enduring effects of that history and chart a better path forward. In 2021, the state of Connecticut, New York City, and Washington, D.C. each enacted similar programs. 

“We urge state lawmakers to use this bill as an opportunity to pilot a longer-term plan to address the pervasive wealth inequalities that perpetuate economic oppression,” said Solana Rice, co-founder and co-executive director of Liberation in a Generation. “Baby bonds are a dignity-centered way to ensure that poverty is not passed down to the next generation of Californians.”

About GRACE and End Child Poverty in CA

Founded by the Daughters of Charity, who have been working in California since 1852, GRACE is led by Shimica Gaskins. GRACE and the End Child Poverty in California (ECPCA) Campaign use education, advocacy, and mobilization programs to make a positive difference in the lives of low-income families and their children. GRACE dares to imagine a  liberated  future,  free  from systemic racism and poverty,  in which  all  children experience a childhood  of  abundance, love, dignity,  and opportunities  to  thrive.  To achieve this vision,  GRACE  is building a joyful movement by centering communities, building authentic partnerships, and advancing public investments  that create  transformative intergenerational change .   Learn more about GRACE and ECPCA at http://www.endchildpovertyca.org.

About Liberation in a Generation

Liberation in a Generation is a national movement-support organization, working to build the power of people of color to totally transform the economy—who controls it, how it works, and most importantly, for whom. It brings together economists, advocates, community organizers, and other proven and emerging leaders of color across the country to build a Liberation Economy, within one generation.

UPDATE & EXPANSION: Read on! We are making strides and our voices heard for our children and our caregivers. Read more about how Senator Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, this past month introduced a bill expanding the eligibility for the child tax credit, which will help struggling families and reduce poverty. SB 860 expands the eligibility of the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) from $1 earning to $0 to include in-home caregivers without paid work. Senator Rubio introduced a similar bill, SB 691, last year. Governor Gavin Newsom’s January proposed budget highlighted the need for this expansion and it is getting done. The future is coming, read on for more details or click to download below!

Senator Susan Rubio’s Bill Champions Young Child Tax Credit Expansion

January 20, 2022

SACRAMENTO, CA – Building off her efforts in 2021, Senator Susan Rubio, D-Baldwin Park, today introduced a bill expanding the eligibility for the child tax credit, which will help struggling families and reduce poverty.  

SB 860 expands the eligibility of the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) from $1 earning to $0 to include in-home caregivers without paid work. Senator Rubio introduced a similar bill, SB 691, last year. Governor Gavin Newsom’s January proposed budget highlighted the need for this expansion.

“The child tax credit is one of the most effective tools for reducing poverty and supporting struggling families, and my bill, SB 860, will expand eligibility for this program,” said Senator Rubio. “Removing this unnecessary work requirement allows for an equitable distribution of financial resources to those who need it the most. I look forward to working with my colleagues, stakeholders and Governor Newsom on this issue.”

“We are proud to support Senator Rubio’s bill to expand the Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) to include households that do not earn income. Governor Newsom’s budget included this idea because it’s both smart and the right thing to do. Providing for the basic needs of young children grows more expensive every year and we have a historic budget surplus that can be invested in better outcomes for low-income families,” said Amy Everitt, President of Golden State Opportunity. “Regardless of their yearly earnings, parents of young children already have the hardest–and most important–job in America and deserve the same level of support as other working parents. This tax credit of up to $1,000 for each child under 6 would go a long way to helping struggling parents support their families.”

“The Young Child Tax Credit is a game-changer for families. Last year, UWCA and the CalEITC Coalition were proud to sponsor legislation authored by Senator Rubio to remove the $1 earning requirement. And now, as we reintroduce this legislation, it is truly exciting to see the Governor’s budget proposal reflect our priorities as we move into the new year,” said Pete Manzo, President and CEO of United Ways of California. “We know from our Real Cost Measure report that over half of families with children under 6 in California struggle financially, so the more we can do for these families, the better. We applaud Senator Rubio and Governor Newsom for their leadership on this issue.”

“In 2019, the Young Child Tax Credit became one of California’s most important tools to end deep child poverty,” said Shimica Gaskins, President & CEO at GRACE & End Child Poverty in California. “We should continue to optimize the YCTC to close the racial wealth divide and ensure families can meet their basic needs. This legislation builds on the Governor’s budget proposal by ensuring the full young child tax credit reaches children and families. We applaud Senator Rubio for leading this fight in the Legislature.” 

To read the original statement from Senator Rubio Susan Rubio, click here.

End Child Poverty movement co-chairs Dolores Huerta and Conway Collis, alongside dozens of End Child Poverty California movement partners, have begun speaking directly with members of Congress in California and now others across the country during the COVID-19 crisis. In the video advocacy calls, partners are sharing stories of what they are seeing on the ground as the crisis continues to unfold:

• desperate need for cash-in-hand for families
• food banks running out of food
• transition-age foster youth with nowhere to go
• parents in tears finding out they qualify for money in tax credits
• community health clinics trying to get enough PPE as prices increase tenfold

Partners are also sharing clear ways that families and children in crisis can be supported in the next stimulus and relief package. The goal of the End Child Poverty California movement is clear: all children deserve to be healthy, fed and housed–in crisis and every day.

Thank you Representatives Adam Schiff, Anna Eshoo, Karen Bass, Ted Lieu and Zoe Lofgren for being champions for children and families.

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Read additional stories of impact on our California stories page.

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Video Call with Rep. Rosa DeLauro, 5/22/20

“I have been fighting for the child tax credit since 2003. We have a child tax credit system in place. Today it leaves out ⅓ of children, and families, because they earn too little. I’ve been fighting since the first CARES package, to get expansion of child tax credit, and it’s now full blown in this HEROES act. It’s fully refundable, so it brings those who have been left out and brings them in. If it’s done it will lift nearly one half of children out of poverty. The child tax credit is all about ending child poverty. I support direct payments, but the direct payments will go away the way they did in 2009. The mechanism, the foundation, the structure of the child tax credit is there, we need to build on it, we only have it for this year.”

Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-CT

“We have served double the amount of people we usually serve on a monthly basis. We don’t just want to continue to serve people in crises, as important as it is. We want to provide the pathway to independence. We know that while we as professionals, or people who are doing work each and every day, we have statistics and individual stories, but there’s no better advocate than the individual who is actually experiencing a particular circumstance and has been able to develop his or her voice, to be sure that the story gets told in an authentic way.”

Bonita Grubbs, Executive Director, Christian Community Action

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Video Call with Rep. Jimmy Gomez, 5/12/20

What motivates me is how working class people deal with daily life everything from how they work, how they make money, how do they get health care, how do they pay for their rent, their mortgage, based on my own experience, growing up without health care, seeing my parents work multiple jobs, seeing how these programs really provide a lifeline and even a boost up to really change their lives. Since coronavirus hit, how do we make sure how these people don’t get left behind? The coronavirus isn’t creating a health crisis, the disparities were already there. We’re trying to make sure that when we come out of this, we don’t have a further divide between the haves and the have nots.

Rep. Jimmy Gomez, D-CA

We are seeing unbelievable needs. In the last 6 weeks we’ve already distributed 30,000 diapers, thousands of meals and other essentials like soap, and the demand is getting greater every day. We’ve provided 700 digital devices to preschool-age kids, because the digital divide affects them too, not just the K-12 students.  We are the safety net — the wraparound services – and we’re keeping kids engaged. At one of our partner schools in Watts, out of 350 students, 150 are unaccounted for. We’re really looking at a lost generation of students at this point. The services for pre-k through community college are so crucial.

Martine Singer, President & CEO, Children’s Institute

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Video Call with Rep. Zoe Lofgren, 5/1/20

I’m grateful to all of you. I’m grateful for the work you do supporting children and families every day. We’ve taken note of every single effort you’ve raised. We will go to the speaker re-energized by this call, outlining the issues you’ve emphasized in particular, to see what we can get. We need substantial resources to the states… and [to] programs and nonprofits that are feeding children, housing children… we’re going to do our very best.

Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-CA

80% of people coming into get food now are coming in to get it for the first time. The situation is dire. We’re dealing with three crises at once: the pandemic, the economic collapse, and massive hunger.

Father Jon Pedigo, Catholic Charities Santa Clara County

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Video Call with Rep. Anna Eshoo, 4/30/20

I want to say “thank you” to all the participants and the extraordinary work that you do day in and day out…We’re talking about people that are hungry, we’re talking about people who need nutrition, we’re talking about food banks that are running out of money. The case is clear that much more needs to be done. This is an important conversation that we’ve had today. I’ll do everything I can humanly do to address these things.

Rep. Anna Eshoo, D-CA

Because of the existing fragility of the system of care, a recent national analysis showed that we could lose up to 4.5 million child care slots as a result of this crisis, including losing an estimated 51% in California if child care providers don’t receive support in the next few weeks.

Stacy Lee, Children Now

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Video Call with Rep. Adam Schiff, 4/28/20

[W]e are seeing so much of society through the lens of this pandemic and it’s revealing so many of the changes we need to make. We need to ‘build back better.’ We need to take care of those most in need and also build the county back better than where we found it. [We can] emerge stronger as a result. In the meantime, we need to make sure families can get through this. 

Rep. Adam Schiff, D-CA

[The increased child tax credit] is one way that these families will be able to put food on the table, pay the rent… this is one way that families can sustain themselves. We’re glad for your leadership and we know you’re going to be our champion.

Civil Rights Leader Dolores Huerta, Dolores Huerta Foundation

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Video Call with Rep. Ted Lieu, 4/28/20

Thank you for being on this call and fighting the good fight. [The latest relief packages] are a necessary first step but not enough, far to small and far too short. 

Rep. Ted Lieu, D-CA

What we’re seeing is our communities falling deeper into poverty. We’ve been working on workers rights and protecting against exploitation. Over the last few weeks those calls have stopped and all the calls we’re getting are from people who are no longer employed at all. Oftentimes folks in our communities don’t have access…state agencies are overwhelmed… Looking at the expansion of the child tax credit–it’s a really critical piece to enhance income for low-income families and ultimately help families to get the cash assistance they need.

Aileen Louie, Asian Americans Advancing Justice

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Video Call with Rep. Karen Bass, 3/26/20

When you have a crisis like this, you don’t know how your communities are going to be impacted. It’s why the work you’re doing is critically important. We need to educate about poverty. Everything your campaign is doing is lifting everyone’s education. You’re setting an example that can be replicated across the country.

This is a pandemic. It doesn’t discriminate based on whether a person is documented or undocumented. We will not succeed in a fourth package unless we organize. We’re talking about bringing together the entire civil rights and social justice community. We need to be very prescriptive in what we need to get passed and then fight for it. 

Rep. Karen Bass, D-CA, Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus

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These Federal legislative visits have averaged 45 participants per call for a total of 276 participants across six calls to-date (5-20-20).

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June 5, 2020 

Statement on the Death of George Floyd 

We, the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul USA, unite our hearts, voices, prayers, presence, and action with those of people of goodwill around the globe in affirming that black lives matter. 

We. Are. Outraged. 

The charity of Christ impels us to speak out, as yet another black man has died at the hands of law enforcement. Actions by those in authority in our law enforcement system reveal again and again a broken system of chronic racism that hurts humanity. 

We call for an immediate cessation of racist actions against people of color by all in positions of authority including all levels of law enforcement, legal systems, and governments. We call for national systemic change eradicating racism and eliminating white supremacy and white privilege. 

We. Are. In solidarity. 

When a sister or brother begs for help, begs for life, begs for air, begs to be released, and ultimately succumbs to death due to asphyxiation, we all symbolically suffocate. Our hearts ache with sorrow for Mr. Floyd’s friends and family, some still too young to comprehend the magnitude of the appalling circumstances resulting in their father’s unjust and agonizing death at the hands of out of control law enforcement. 

We applaud Minnesota Attorney General, Keith Ellison, and the Minnesota legal system for taking firm action to indict all four officers involved covertly or overtly in the death of our brother, George Floyd. 

We. Are. Committed to Action. 

As women given to God, in community, to serve Christ in the those who are poor, we pledge to confront racism within ourselves and where we encounter it. We pledge to live Catholic Social Teaching. We join with others in the faith community in acknowledging our own complicity in institutional racism and we ask forgiveness of our sisters and brothers of color. We pledge to join others in building the Kingdom of God. 

“We must love our neighbor as being made in the
image of God and as an object of His love.”
– St. Vincent de Paul 

# # #

The Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul of the United States of America comprises two Provinces of nearly 500 sisters serving in social services, prison ministry, health care, education, immigration, prevention of trafficking, and more. 

Child Care & End Child Poverty Virtual Advocacy Day

June 4, 2020

For event registration and schedule of events, click here.

Due to the devastation of COVID-19, California’s economy has been pummeled into a recession deeper than we have seen since the Great Depression. Our robust pre-COVID economy still didn’t make it possible for California’s families to make ends meet, especially families of color. The current pandemic has put a spotlight on the inequities in our current economic structures that disproportionately impact women, communities of color, the unhoused and elderly.

In crisis, we also have opportunity.

As FDR crafted the New Deal, he knew that the nation needed more than response, more than recovery. He called for the reform of systems that were meant to take care of all of us. In this moment, we have the opportunity to create a path to recovery that reforms systems and builds a more inclusive economy. We envision a post-pandemic California that prioritizes the economic stability of California families: Black and Brown, documented and undocumented, who continue to be the backbone of Califnorna’s economic success.  We do this together by building strong and supported early care and education programs, ensuring food and housing security for families, and providing access to the funds parents and caregivers need to care for their families.

We know the coronavirus crisis’ health and economic effects are devastating–California’s unemployment rate is projected by the Department of Finance to reach 24 percent–and the challenges ahead are formidable.

THE CRITICAL NEED

Prior to COVID-19, California–the fifth largest economy in the world–had the highest poverty rate with almost 2 million children living in poverty and 450 thousand in extreme poverty.

According to the California Budget and Policy Center, communities of color face much higher child poverty rates and less access to resources. The child poverty rates are 31% for Latinx children, 28% for Black children, 18% for other children of color, and 12% for White children.

Among the one in five Americans who have lost jobs during the pandemic, researchers have found that those hit the hardest financially were the least educated and lowest paid, further exacerbating the impact on children and families of color.

A shocking 31 percent of Californians report food insecurity, approximately 12 million people–nearly triple the pre-COVID level. Rates are even higher for households with children, and higher still for families of color. With the summer upon us, when hunger among K-12 students increases, many children are at risk of not having a single nutritious meal in a day.

Prior to COVID-19, only one in nine qualified children had a voucher to access a family child care home or center. With the addition of prioritizing the needs of income-eligible essential workers on the front lines, it’s estimated over 2.5 million children will not have access to child care.

Compounding the child care crisis are the numbers of family child care providers and centers that permanently shuttered during the pandemic, estimated by some to be about 70 percent of the existing child care capacity.

To not only maintain some fragment of a safety net for our poorest families and children, as well as to support a foundation from which to grow, strategic investments must be made. This devastation will reach every corner of California’s population, yet together we can make strategic changes to strengthen our future.

To best support California’s working families and lessen the devastating impact of this crisis, we bring forward the following policy and budget recommendations.

THE JUNE BUDGET SOLUTIONS

Family poverty and child poverty is best addressed by:

• Ending the exclusion of undocumented families from economic public policy by extending California’s Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Young Child Tax Credit (YCTC) to ITIN filers and establishing an undocumented worker safety net similar to unemployment insurance (in accordance with Asm. Kalra’s  budget proposal).
• Continuing to bolster our income support programs, especially during this time by 1) Keeping the CalEITC Outreach and VITA program funding, and 2) support innovative ways to streamline direct payments to families (SB 1409 – Caballero).
• Investing in effective workforce training programs that lead to high wage jobs with benefits and provide the supports that will lead to success for poor communities and disconnected youth (SB 1103 – Hurtado).
• Restoring the 60-month time clock in CalWORKS, as recommended by the Lifting Children and Families Out of Poverty Task Force, and pausing the time clock for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic. (AB 2567 – Burke & Budget Request)

Child care and early learning access is best addressed by:

• Rejecting the 10% Reimbursement Rate Cut to Family Child Care Homes and Child Care Centers
  • In the last ten years, child care providers had only one solid rate increase, in 2016. The rate cut proposed will drop voucher rates to roughly $2.37 and $9.96 per hour roughly, dependent on the type of care. For high quality centers, the rates fall to $43.45 full-day and $26.91 part-day.
  • Governor Newsom issued Executive Order (EO) N-45-201 and CDE Management Bulletin 20-042, variable work schedules and provided a guarantee to providers that hold a slot open for a child. If this EO is not made permanent, families with this type of schedule will simply lose access to care.
• Supporting $125 million in one-time stipends for state-subsidized child care providers offering care during the pandemic
• Redirecting $152.3 million to fund additional AP spaces for income-eligible essential workers and children-at-risk
• Removing the sunset for the distribution of $50 million for essential workers to access child care and $50 million for family child care providers and centers to secure needed supplies
• Rejecting the $100 million cut to the Afterschool Education and Safety Program that is part of the continuum of early care and education programs for families struggling to make ends meet

Food security is strengthened by:

• Investing in School Meals for All
  • Ensuring schools continue to serve non-congregate meals during the summer break
  • Supporting schools to adopt the Community Eligibility Provision, which allows schools to draw down additional federal funding to serve meals free to all students
• Rejecting the governor’s Supplemental Security Income (SSI) cut that would harm over 100,000 children and supporting the Senate’s proposal
• Supporting AB 3073 (Wicks) so that eligible people leaving jail or prison are receiving CalFresh and able to support the needs of their families
• Supporting SB 882 (Weiner) so that new CalFresh applicants are able to access a simplified application and virtual process  

We believe all our children deserve to be healthy, fed, and housed. This month’s budget is a blueprint for rebuilding, and a stake in the ground for how we want to build a better and more inclusive economy that will not leave any one community behind. Our families, particularly families of color, cannot bear the brunt of severe cuts that will push them deeper into poverty. Instead, we need to reinvest in the core infrastructures of child care, housing, food, workforce programs, transportation and health care that intertwine to lift families up. Our ultimate goal is a robust safety net for families and children that allows for the building and preservation of wealth. The last recession levied devastating cuts on California’s most vulnerable members that we’re still struggling to recover from. Meaningful investments in families now will strengthen California’s economy as we rebuild together, while strengthening families for future challenges we may face. Let’s work together to make California fiscally healthy again while supporting the diverse needs of our families.

Join us as we bring child care, anti-hunger and anti-poverty organizations together to rise up and speak out to rebuild a California that ensures families are fed, house, cared for and thriving!
This upcoming Thursday, 6-4-20, from 9am-4pm, online.
[EVENT INFO & RSVP LINK BELOW]

On June 4, 2020, we’re coming together as advocates–child care, food programs, safety net, and anti-poverty champions–for our first all digital “Child Care and End Child Poverty CA Advocacy Day.” Our landscape has shifted significantly. Let’s raise our unified voices in support of California’s kids and families. The needs are urgent and we want to provide both immediate relief and solutions to build back better.  On June 4th, we’ll advocate for budget proposals that keep families fed, keep child care providers open, and commit to lifting families out of poverty. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, unmet need is growing exponentially, yet California is facing an unprecedented budget deficit: we need our decision makers in Sacramento to hear from the field on the impact of this pandemic, and what supports need to be improved during recovery. Don’t miss this impactful day of action!

The day will start with an advocate training online for community members, partner organizations, and anyone interested in learning more about these issues. The training will include overviews on the budget asks that our field is facing, and we will hear from policy experts and legislative staff on the work being done prior to the June 15th budget deadline. Following the training, we will hold a series of Legislative Briefings to inform legislators and their staff about the impact of this budget on child care and food and safety net programs. We will then give attendees the opportunity to reach out to their legislators individually, via phone and/or email to elevate the priority asks. We will close out the day with a community wide Twitter Storm!