The Raising California Together coalition today released a statement from Co-Chairs Tonia McMillian, a family child care provider from Bellflower and SEIU Local 99 Treasurer, and Clarissa Doutherd, ?Executive Director at Parent Voices Oakland in response to Governor Jerry Brown’s Fiscal Year 2017-18 budget proposal:

With our littlest learners’ brains growing by the day, we can’t delay in investing in the early learning that makes a world of difference in their future. We applaud Governor Brown for keeping the budget promise he made last year to strengthen our child care system after years of neglect.

Research shows quality early learning is directly related to provider pay, so improving the dismal pay of child care workers not only boosts a vital workforce out of poverty, but also improves opportunities for our children. With 30 percent of child care workers driven out of the profession they love over the last decade, strengthening the child care workforce is crucial to support working parents and our economy.

To that end, Raising California Together urges Governor Brown and legislators to empower child care workers with the training they need to prevent injuries that can force them to close their doors to children and parents.

We look forward to working with Governor Brown and legislators to show our young people that California keeps its promises to our kids. In order to do that, child care workers will continue working to build a union that puts our workforce at the table in fixing a broken child care system.