Birth to Three Care

California’s babies and toddlers are in a dire position: there is a critical shortage of child care to support them and their families. There are more than 1.7 million children ages birth through 3 living in California, representing about 4 percent of the state’s population. The majority are children of color, and nearly 60 percent of children under 5 years old speak a language other than English at home. But families across California struggle to access affordable, high-quality care for their young children. Access to subsidized care is even more limited: it is estimated that only 19% of the state’s children, ages birth to 2 years, who are eligible for subsidized care, are enrolled. While families across California continue to struggle to access and afford high-quality early learning and care opportunities, the challenges are even greater for families of color. This underlines the critical importance of ensuring policy is centering the communities that have often been left behind to ensure all families are able to access the care they need.

The shortage is exacerbated by a shrinking Early Learning and Care workforce, which has reduced since the pandemic due to rising living costs, low wages, and limited benefits. Infant and toddler caregivers have experienced a 7.5% nationwide workforce decline, highlighting the need for immediate action. Those who stay in the workforce are stretched thin, often experiencing financial hardship due to receiving low or no pay, a lack of health benefits, few supports for professional development, and increasing demands to protect children and their families from federal immigration enforcement.

While California has made strides in recent years to improve access to child care, too many families continue to struggle, impacting every community across our state. Lack of child care access means families struggle to get by, the stability of our workforce is at risk, and children don’t have the support to reach their fullest potential from birth and beyond.

*Data on enrollment in CDSS subsidized child care programs provided by the California Center for Budget and Policy. The data does not include Stage 1 child care or Stage 2 community college child care.