Early Edge Blog

Child Care Providers United Wins Supports for Providers

May 19, 2021

The recently-formed Child Care Providers United (CCPU) announced in April that it had come to an agreement with the Newsom Administration regarding supports and protections for the child care workforce during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The agreement was reflected in the Governor’s May Revision budget proposal, which was released last Friday.

The agreement will help to stabilize the child care industry, protecting both child care providers and the families who depend on them. “This agreement is welcome news to providers like me who have been living on a razor’s edge throughout the pandemic, forced to close our doors to keep our communities safe time and time again, without knowing if we’d ever be able to re-open,” said Patricia Moran, a child care provider in San Jose and member of CCPU’s COVID-19 workgroup. 

The agreement includes:

• Providing stipends to support providers and help them recover from costs incurred due to COVID-19.
• Reimbursing providers based on enrollment rather than attendance, so that they do not lose income when children are ill or in quarantine.
• Providing 16 paid non-operational days to providers who have to close due to COVID-19 related occurrences, such as provider illness or closure due to public health order.
• Funding for mental health support for providers and the children they serve.
• Funds to help child care businesses open or reopen, especially in underserved areas.

Child Care Providers United will continue to work with the Newsom Administration as they begin negotiations for their first collective bargaining agreement with the State. Union leaders indicate that provider compensation and benefits, training and professional development, and other priorities to strengthen Early Learning for children and families will be priorities in the collective bargaining negotiation.