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The case for revolutionizing child care in America

Parents of the world, unite! OK, so Dana Suskind's call to arms doesn't have quite that revolutionary zeal. But it comes close.

The F.D.A. authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech boosters for children ages 5 to 11.

More than eight million of the 28 million children in that age group in the United States have received two vaccine shots.

Two U.S. senators push a more modest proposal on child care

Amid the deepening child care crisis, two Democratic senators, Patty Murray of Washington and Tim Kaine of Virginia, are joining forces to push a scaled-back version of the ambitious child care program that was part of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” legislation, as HuffPost reported

How to restore California’s ailing child care system: Pay the teachers

Covid-19 brought California’s already-ailing child care system to its knees. If you work in child care or are a parent, you are intimately familiar with this reality.

Governor Newsom Proposes $18.1 Billion Inflation Relief Package

Package includes direct payments to help address costs of rising inflation and past-due water and utility bills, free public transit, money for health care workers, middle-class health care subsidies, and waiving child care fees for families  SACRAMENTO – As people throughout the country face inc

California’s Subsidized Child Care Providers Are Overdue for Pay Raise

How Are Subsidized Child Care Providers Paid in California? Subsidized child care providers are paid in one of two ways in California: 1) by accepting vouchers from families or 2) by contracting directly with the state.

Some California school districts launch transitional kindergarten without state help

The state mandates transitional kindergarten, but isn’t paying the tab for a small portion of wealthy school districts. Some are balking. In a major shift for early education, California is expanding its transitional kindergarten program to eventually include all 4-year-olds.

A public pre-K expansion doesn’t have to box out private care

xpanded exclusively in public school districts, pre-kindergarten has the potential to decimate the nation’s child care market, inadvertently depriving working families of access to infant and toddler care.

Biden says nearly 1.2 million women haven't returned to work because there's no affordable childcare

For nearly a year, businesses have been complaining that they can't find workers as labor shortages abound, and the labor market gets tighter and tighter.

In defense of pre-K

What one study can — and can’t — tell us about education policy. In January, a team of researchers at Vanderbilt University released a study that seemed to be a serious setback to the push for nationwide, universal pre-K programs.

Moderna’s Covid-19 Vaccine Works Safely in Young Children, Company Says

Moderna Inc.’s Covid-19 vaccine safely induced robust immune responses in children ages 6 months to 5 years in a new study, the company said, though the shot had modest efficacy against the Omicron variant. Moderna said Wednesday the vaccine’s efficacy against symptomatic infections was 43.

Inflation threatens California’s economic recovery

CalMatters is dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Donate now.

In-depth: Childcare crisis in Coachella Valley

For many families in the Coachella Valley, having access to safe and affordable childcare has become rare within the last few years. Riverside County currently has a team called First Five.

Is it too risky for kids to go maskless at school and daycare? What experts say

With mask mandates easing, some parents and schools will have much to think about in the coming weeks. After Friday night at 11:59 p.m.

Will the pandemic leave a lasting mark on baby brains?

Donise Keller, a child care provider in Antioch, takes care of a little boy coping with some developmental delays. The 3½-year-old doesn’t talk very much, and he doesn’t enjoy interacting with other children.

Congress may increase child-care funding but it won’t fix systemic problems, advocates say

The omnibus package, which is expected to pass the Senate this week, includes increases for a number of federal child care and early education programs, including roughly $11 billion for Head Start and Early Head Start and $6.2 billion for the Child Care and Development Block Grant.

Small Business Grants for Women (2022)

In celebration of Women's History Month, we're publishing some top grant opportunities for women-owned (and non-women-owned) businesses!

We're representing providers at the Capitol today

We're in Sacramento today representing community-based child care providers at the Capitol today.

10 things employees really want — and how to make them happen

Hiring employees is growing more and more difficult for small business owners. With a record number of team members quitting across the US, it’s more important than ever to not only attract the right candidates but also give them a reason to stay.

The lack of childcare centers has pushed Bay Area moms to open their own

For nearly a decade, Jackie Shaw, 43, worked three jobs: One at a housing clinic in San Francisco, a second at the county social service agency in Oakland, and a third at home in Treasure Island, as the single mother of three kids.

Early Childhood Education in California: Is there a PK-3rd credential on the horizon?

The Commission on Teacher Credentialing’s (CTC) is actively working on “multiple, accessible” pathways for elementary teachers and ECE permit holders to teach in TK and developing a PK-3rd ECE specialist credential.

Covenant Unified Grant Application

Letters of Inquiry that fall outside of The Covenant Foundation’s parameters for funding will not be considered. Please read the following information carefully and contact the Foundation if you have questions.

California to drop school mask mandate after March 11

California will drop school masking requirements after March 11, leaving the decision up to districts and local jurisdictions, state officials announced Monday. Currently, California students and teachers have to mask up indoors at K-12 schools statewide, regardless of vaccination status.

California child care workers struggle to survive

Donise Keller has made many sacrifices in 20 years as a child care provider, but she has rarely questioned her calling. She puts in 12-hour days. She gets by on less than $20,000 a year. She worries about getting Covid on the job. But, despite it all, she says she loves what she does.

Expansion of California’s preschool program proposed

The California State Preschool Program currently serves the state's low-income three- and four-year-olds. Edsource reports the new proposal to expand the program to children as young as two is part of the K-12 "trailer bill," clarifying policies related to the state budget for 2022-23.

California bill would eliminate Medi-Cal premiums for children, certain adults

(The Center Square) – Thousands of Medi-Cal recipients who are children, pregnant or disabled adults would no longer be required to pay premiums for health care coverage under a new proposal introduced by a California lawmaker. Assembly Bill 1995, introduced by Assemblyman Dr.

Nine out of 10 Los Angeles voters support more public funding for child care, preschool, poll shows

Nine out of 10 Los Angeles voters support increased public funding for child care and preschool, according to a new poll released Friday by the LA Partnership for Early Childhood Investment.

Fresno State professor on the link between cultural diversity and early childhood education

Children’s books about topics like race, gender identity and sexual orientation are increasingly at risk of being banned by schools and libraries across the country. But Dr.

Two new early education bills seek to expand kindergarten in California

Two newly introduced bills could impact the early education landscape in California if they eventually become law. Both bills seek to redefine aspects of the kindergarten experience.

Some California school districts are defying mask mandate

California ended its mask mandate for fully vaccinated people Tuesday for all but school staff and students, prompting protests across the state. Most school districts are sending unmasked students home, but the number of schools that are welcoming them is growing.

Senator Leyva: Working Families Need True Access to Universal Preschool

SACRAMENTO – Continuing her work to expand educational and developmental opportunities for young children, Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) today introduced legislation that establishes universal preschool in California.

Senator Leyva: Working Families Need True Access to Universal Preschool

SACRAMENTO – Continuing her work to expand educational and developmental opportunities for young children, Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) today introduced legislation that establishes universal preschool in California.

California’s subsidized preschool program may expand to toddlers

California’s subsidized preschool program may be open to children as young as 2 if the expansion of services in Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed budget comes to pass. The California State Preschool Program currently serves the state’s low-income 3- and 4-year-olds.

Is universal preschool worth it?

Preschool attendance in the United States grew only slightly over the most recent decade–with enrollment among 3- and 4-year-olds never reaching 50%–and survey evidence suggests the ongoing pandemic has pushed the numbers even lower. But there are signs that the momentum is shifting.

What does the Tennessee pre-K study really tell us about public preschool programs?

A new study of the effects of Tennessee’s Voluntary Pre-K (TNVPK) program has ignited debate about the benefits of preschool right at a time when the Build Back Better bill—which includes historic investments in children and families through early care and education (ECE)—is stalled in Congres

Child-care costs are outpacing inflation — the average cost of daycare for infants now exceeds in-state college tuition fees

The average annual cost of daycare for infants hit just over $12,300 in 2020, according to a new report from Child Care Aware. With inflation at a 40-year high, families are feeling the pinch of higher prices at the grocery store checkout, on their home heating bill, and when they pay rent.

Pfizer postpones FDA request for COVID vaccine for kids under 5

Pfizer and BioNTech announced Friday that they are postponing their application to the Food and Drug Administration for the companies' COVID-19 vaccine for children under the age of 5.

A top researcher says it's time to rethink our entire approach to preschool

Dale Farran has been studying early childhood education for half a century. Yet her most recent scientific publication has made her question everything she thought she knew. And by "this," she means the outcome of a study that lasted more than a decade.

With California’s mask mandate set to end, should you go maskless? Here’s what UCSF’s Dr. Wachter says

He gave the example of a party he went to this weekend in Florida, which was intended to be outdoors — until it started raining, forcing the party inside and forcing Wachter to decide if he was going to stay, eating and drinking inside without a mask, or leave his college friend’s 65th birthday

Community schools can reinvigorate learning after Covid — if done right

As 2022 begins, educators, students, families and communities continue to navigate a state of prolonged and volatile crisis. The persistent spread of Covid-19 has compounded the challenge of ensuring safe and healthy learning environments.

First 5: Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, California’s First Surgeon General is a True Champion for Children and Families in the State

California’s first Surgeon General, Dr. Nadine Burke Harris, whose departure was recently announced by Governor Gavin Newsom, continues to be a champion for children and families in the state. The First 5 Association, First 5 California and First 5 LA recognize Dr.

Debate rages over whether kids should wear masks at school

Now we turn to a new front in the debate over masks in schools. Some states, like California, are currently giving out respirator-style masks to children.

Family Math Activity: Craft Shiny Robots and Spaceships

Esta actividad está disponible en español. Spatial relations are the words we use to describe where something is in physical space or in relation to another thing. They’re also known as location and position words and are part of the math skill known as spatial sense.

Ever feel like screaming into the void? This is how mothers of young kids are navigating Omicron in the US

On a freezing cold night, a group of women slowly starts to gather in a mostly empty car park north of Boston. All of them are mums who, like so many others, have spent the past two years trying to manage the stress, fear and frustrations of trying to raise kids during a pandemic.

How learning happens in the brains of sleeping babies

Neuroscientists have long known that shut-eye helps consolidate memories in adults. Napping may play an equally crucial role in infants and young children.

‎Old Firehouse School Chat : COVID and Preschoolers with Dr. Monica Gandhi on Apple Podcasts

If you have children under the age of 5, January 2022 may have been one of the most stressful months since the beginning of the pandemic. The Omicron variant shuttered classrooms and left families and educators with questions about vaccines, masking, and the safety of being at school.

D.C. will send $10,000 checks to child care workers

Child care workers in Washington, D.C. will receive checks for at least $10,000, after the city's council approved a measure to redirect tax revenues from the city's wealthiest residents to the child care workers, the Washington Post reports.

Sen. Joe Manchin says Build Back Better bill is ‘dead’

WASHINGTON (AP) — Sen. Joe Manchin declared Tuesday that President Joe Biden’s vast social and environment bill is “dead,” using his strongest language to date to underscore that any revival of Democrats’ top domestic priorities would have to arise from fresh negotiations.

COVID-19 vaccine for young kids could be ready this month

The last age group of the population unable to get a Covid-19 vaccine may soon be able to do so — and much earlier than anticipated.

For child care programs, masking helped minimize closures, study shows

A new Yale study found that child care programs in the United States that practiced child masking early in the COVID-19 pandemic (May-June 2020) experienced a 13% reduction in program closure within the following year, and continued child masking throughout the one-year study period was associated w

What are the best masks for children to wear at school during the omicron surge? | Quick Guide

As the more highly transmissible omicron variant continues to be the country’s dominant Covid strain, health experts are recommending adults and children upgrade from cloth or surgical masks to higher quality masks such as KN95s or KF94s.

Biden talks climate and child care provisions of Build Back Better agenda with top CEOs

President Biden on Wednesday met with corporate executives from major companies about his Build Back Better proposal, arguing the benefits of the climate and child care provisions of it on the economy. “The bottom line is, a lot of folks refer to this as just social spending.

Omicron blazes through California child care providers already reeling from COVID

Child care centers were already struggling prior to the omicron variant. Now a dire situation has gotten even worse.

A search for solutions to the child care staffing crisis

Second in a two-part series. Read part one here. Lynn Twork tries to make sense of the most recent guidance from San Diego County on what to do when there’s a positive COVID-19 case in one of her preschool classrooms. She talks like someone stuck in a 16th century hedge maze from Europe.

The Great Resignation? More like The Great Renegotiation

There's been much hubbub in recent months about what's been dubbed "The Great Resignation." The popular phrase refers to the roughly 33 million Americans who have quit their jobs since the spring of 2021.

Global education trends and research to follow in 2022

As the third calendar year of the pandemic begins, 2022 promises to be an important one—especially for education.

A state-funded pre-K program led to ‘significantly negative effects’ for kids in Tennessee

Children who attended Tennessee’s state-funded voluntary pre-K program during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 school years were doing worse than their peers by the end of sixth grade in academic achievement, discipline issues and special education referrals.

Anti-vaccination forces gear up for fight over California vaccine legislation

California is poised to become the front line of America’s vaccination wars.

New bill would add Covid vaccine to list of schools’ required immunizations

The bill, introduced by State Sen. Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, who is also a pediatrician, takes Gov. Gavin  Newsom’s Covid vaccine mandate a step further. It would require the vaccine regardless of whether the U.S.

Revised Cal/OSHA COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard Adding New Compliance Obligations for Employers Goes Into Effect January 14

The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has revised and readopted Cal/OSHA's COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS). This readopted ETS maintains much of the prior Cal/OSHA ETS requirements.

San Diego child care centers struggle with staffing crisis

Even before COVID there was a real staffing crisis among childcare providers, supporters say the positions are undervalued and poorly paid. Now the situation is far worse. K PBS investigative reporter Claire Traeger looks at what's causing this massive childcare staffing crisis in the region

Where did all the workers go?

CalMatters is dedicated to explaining how state government impacts our lives. Your support helps us produce journalism that makes a difference. Donate now. The single biggest challenge facing California small businesses: Labor shortages.

Parents and caregivers of young children say they've hit pandemic rock bottom

"I had a parent tell me to f*** off last week," Cori Berg said. She directs the Hope Day School, a church-affiliated early childhood program in Dallas.

San Diego looks at 72 city buildings as potential child care centers amid the daycare crisis

Child care has become an enormous issue since the pandemic started and now the Downtown San Diego Library is one of the many buildings in the area the city may potentially turn into a child care center. "It’s a big enough problem where we call it a crisis," said Director of Policy and Strategy

California will distribute Covid test kits to child care providers

California has a statewide distribution of at-home Covid-19 tests for child care providers planned for the end of January, as the LAist reported, which may provide some relief for caregivers scrambling to find tests and masks during the latest surge.

Free tuition available for early education providers

San Diego Quality Preschool Initiative and First 5 San Diego have partnered to offer free tuition to early education providers.

White House plans to restart talks with Manchin

The White House intends to restart talks with Sen. Joe Manchin on President Biden’s social safety net package, hoping to try a new tack in negotiations, as the Wall Street Journal reported, even as some  Democrats push for passing key pieces of the agenda instead.

Editorial: Child-care costs more than rent for many California families. That has to change

Recent research lays bare an enormous toll facing California families: Child care has become so costly that in most of the state it’s surpassed housing as the largest monthly expense for households with young children.

Guidance on Isolation and Quarantine for COVID-19 Contact Tracing

Incorporates changes based on CDPH Recommendations for Fully Vaccinated People, CDC Interim Guidance on Duration of Isolation, and CDPH All Facilities Letter 21-08.

Official: California COVID surge could ease next month

Fans wear masks as they walk inside crypto.com Arena before an NHL hockey game between the Los Angeles Kings and the Nashville Predators Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

Rate Reform Resources

Contains resources for California State Preschool Program Contractors regarding Rate Reform Effective January 1, 2022.

Child care officials say they are facing a staffing crisis

“We are definitely at a labor shortage and staffing crisis that really needs significant federal investment,” he said during a virtual news conference with Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont and other officials.

Child care is getting more support from some private companies

Kayley Wolf is considering switching employers. But before leaving any job, she has to look at her child care benefits that help provide for her 6-month-old son. In the midst of the pandemic, some in private industry have stepped up their child care benefits.

Why child care in the U.S. lags behind much of the world

Ideological differences make more of a difference than financial resources in keeping U.S. child care behind. Barbara Risman has studied gender, family and work for about 40 years.

For the sake of the economy, child care must be built back better

It’s time to accept that America’s child care market is fundamentally broken.

How to claim up to $16,000 in tax credit for child-care expenses in 2021

A new year means a new tax season coming soon -- and there are some big changes to the child and dependent care credit that could provide a major increase in your tax refund.

As child care costs soar, providers are barely getting by. Is there any fix?

Claire Suddath, a journalist in Brooklyn, pays about $24,000 a year for daycare for her 17-month-old daughter. Though considered cheap by Brooklyn standards, it's still an enormous expense — and one that Suddath acknowledges is out of reach for many parents.

What happens when child care runs out?

The American workforce has had a lot to celebrate in recent months. Employment and job opportunities are on the rise, companies are offering more flexibility, and more employees are getting vaccinated and shedding their pajamas in favor of real pants.

A model for how to spend federal money on early education already exists

The Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership has supported local child-care programs for years. Lawmakers can learn from it for the Build Back Better act.

Joe Manchin says he is unable to support President Biden's Build Back Better plan

West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin doomed President Biden's roughly $2 trillion social spending and climate legislation known as Build Back Better on Sunday, telling Fox News in an interview that he cannot support it.

Child care hiring crisis is closing programs and keeping parents out of workforce

A hiring crisis is closing classrooms at Nurtury Early Education in Boston.The nonprofit, which serves mostly low-income families, has seen its staff shrink 30% during the coronavirus pandemic."We cannot find enough educators who are willing to come into our classrooms," CEO Laura Perille said.

Universal transitional kindergarten could bring relief to parents, but threatens child care providers

Soon California public schools will offer free transitional kindergarten for all four year olds. It will be a big help to working parents, but K PBS reporter Tanya thorn tells us it may have unintended consequences for childcare providers. Pamela causes four year old goes to an in-home daycare.

As child care costs soar, providers are barely getting by. Is there any fix?

Claire Suddath, a journalist in Brooklyn, pays about $24,000 a year for daycare for her 17-month-old daughter. Though considered cheap by Brooklyn standards, it's still an enormous expense — and one that Suddath acknowledges is out of reach for many parents.

California Department of Public Health Requires Universal Indoor Masking Through January

On December 13, 2021, the California Department of Public Health issued binding guidance requiring all Californians statewide to mask indoors irrespective of vaccination status.

Omicron evades Moderna vaccine too, study suggests, but boosters help

There's more mixed news about the power of vaccines to protect people against the omicron variant — this time about the Moderna vaccine. Previous research had indicated the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is also less protective against omicron.

Lawmakers plan push for full child care access in New York

A bill that would create a universal child care system in New York was introduced Wednesday by state Sen. Jabari Brisport as advocates and state lawmakers seek to push the issue to front burner of the agenda in Albany in the coming year.

Scores of California Students Still Lack Proof of Vaccination as School Mandate Deadlines Approach

Those districts include West Contra Costa Unified (WCCUSD), as well those in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Oakland.

Why Day Care in America Costs More Than College Tuition

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: Earlier we discussed the watershed moment for abortion rights in the U.S. A related issue is child care in America, which many parents recognize as dysfunctional.

Child care industry struggles with job recovery

Job recovery has been slow, further challenged by teachers walking away from the sector in search of higher wages at companies like McDonald’s and Amazon, the report notes. To make matters worse, child care has long been notable, experts say, as one of the lowest-paying jobs in the country.

Help Wanted: America's childcare crisis fueled by worker shortages in daycare centers

Jessica Duckett's Teddy Bear Day Care and Preschool is feeling the effects of the nation's hiring crunch firsthand.

84% of parents are overwhelmed by cost of child care, survey shows

As Biden’s social safety net bill makes its way through Congress, American families continue to struggle with child care while making ends meet.

Parents could get a lot of help with Biden child care plan. How long will it last?

There’s a lot for many California parents to gain in the Biden administration’s Build Back Better plan: big tax breaks for each child, free pre-kindergarten programs and a limit on how much families pay for child care. But much of the change would be temporary.

33 Ideas to Try Now for a Stronger Childcare Business in 2022

As 2021 draws to a close, many childcare and preschool directors are busy planning for the year ahead. In a recent webinar, we asked our community of ECE leaders what their best tips were for wrapping up the year well and strengthening their businesses in 2022.

Apprenticeships may help build the child care workforce

Sign up for the daily Marketplace newsletter to make sense of the most important business and economic news. Apprenticeships have traditionally focused on male-dominated jobs in trades like construction, electrical and plumbing, fields with above-average wages.

Measuring the toll of a broken child care system

Almost half the workforce can't leave the house with kids at home and few feasible optionsIt’s hard to get an economy moving again when almost half of your potential workers can’t leave the house.

Moms Are Back to Work, But Child Care Resources Are ‘Laughable’

Yearlong waiting lists, babysitters nowhere to be found, and families feeling the strain. Katy Stenta, the pastor of a small church in Albany, N.Y., and the mother of three boys, has experienced pandemic-related child-care shortages from all sides.

Understanding Child Care and Pre-Kindergarten Provisions in the Build Back Better Act

Skip to main content Understanding Child Care and Pre-Kindergarten Provisions in the Build Back Better Act SHARE

How Child Care Became the Most Broken Business in America

Cohen and her family live in Portland, Ore., where the cost of caring for an infant runs as high as $2,000 a month. Preschool for her older child was cheaper, but not much, and most of the programs Cohen found ended at noon. To cover a regular workday, she’d need to tack on aftercare or a nanny.

California stimulus checks: Why more payments could be possible again next year

California Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks about his 2021-2022 state budget proposal during a news conference in Sacramento, Calif., on Jan. 8, 2021.

House passes Biden's social spending bill

House Democrats on Friday succeeded in their months-long quest to pass a behemoth social spending bill, but the legislation still needs to be hammered out by the Senate before it can become law. Why it matters: The $1.

PPIC Statewide Survey: Californians and Their Economic Well-Being

The PPIC Statewide Survey is directed by Mark Baldassare, president and CEO and survey director at the Public Policy Institute of California.

Why Child Care in California Hasn't Rebounded

Child care workers earn lower wages than pre-K teachers, who in turn make less than kindergarten teachers, according to data from the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment at Berkeley. There are several factors driving the pay gap.

CQEL EdNews : What does Build Back Better mean for child care programs?

The plan is still being volleyed around by legislators and the Congressional Budget Office, but if it moves forward, it will mean big changes for child care and preschool programs.

Worsened by pandemic, child care crisis hampers economy

SEATTLE — After Bryan Kang’s son was born in July, the occupational therapist and his wife, a teacher, started looking for child care in the Los Angeles area.

Why California's Universal Transitional Kindergarten Plan Poses a Threat to Some Early Childhood Ed Providers

Universal preschool is coming to California in 2025, a major victory, years in the making for early childhood education advocates. McCarty is the architect of the $2.7 billion initiative, which was authorized as part of an education funding bill signed into law in July.

Study confirms kids as spreaders of COVID-19 and emerging variants

Sign up for daily emails to get the latest Harvard news. Infected children are potential “reservoirs” for the evolution of new variants as well as potential spreaders of current variants, explains Lael Yonker.

🔒 Member-Only Access to CQEL's New CARE Licensing Inspection Tool

Welcome to CQEL's CARE Tool. It's built to be your handy organized reference to Licensing's inspection tools that's accessible everywhere. Bookmark it on your computer or on your phone so it's accessible when you have a licensing visit. Log in to access the tool here.

New government reports paint child care system as 'unworkable'

Children play together in the 3-year-old class at Little Flowers Early Childhood and Development Center in Baltimore. In Maryland, about 1 in 3 adults in households with those 4 and younger reported taking a child out of child care in the previous four weeks.

California coronavirus cases dropping, CDC says

California’s coronavirus transmission rates are dropping, a hopeful sign amid a summer surge fueled by the Delta variant, according to new data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

4th stimulus check: $600 for Californians, $1,000 teacher bonuses, $2,000 payment petition

Millions of parents received their third child tax credit checks in their bank accounts this morning. And if you live in California, you could be getting even more money with the second round of Golden State Stimulus checks for $600 (or up to $1,100) on Friday.

Democrats poised to overhaul nation’s childcare, with taxpayers picking up the bill

Spurred by the pandemic, Democrats are proposing a foundational shift in how the nation pays for childcare — placing responsibility largely on taxpayers rather than parents. It’s a transition dozens of wealthy countries already have made.

ACLU sues Bay Area school district over ‘separate, unequal and illegal’ special education program

Outcomes for disabled students — especially those who are Black or English learners — in one Bay Area school district are so poor that the district is essentially denying the students their right to an education, according to a lawsuit filed Monday.

Voters resoundingly defeat recall of California Gov. Gavin Newsom

The margin could narrow as further updates during the evening reflect votes cast in person on election day.

Inadequate U.S. Child-Care Hampers Economy, Treasury Says (1)

The U.S. child-care system fails to adequately serve many families due to insufficient supply and high cost, holding back parents’ ability to contribute to the economy, according to a new report from the U.S. Treasury Department.

How to Prepare for Transitional Kindergarten [Recording and Slides]

​It was so great seeing CQEL members at the Transitional Kindergarten briefing last week, and thank you for the fantastic questions and discussion. If you missed the recording, you can find the recording and slides here. Not a member? Join here: https://www.caqualityearlylearning.org/join

Biden to mandate COVID vaccines for federal workers, with no option for testing

President Biden speaks on workers rights and labor unions in the East Room at the White House on September 08, 2021. Photo: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images

America Has A Child Care Crisis. Biden Wants To Spend Billions To Fix It

Crystal Rogers, owner of Cozy Couch Family Day Care in Martinsburg, W.Va., finally feels appreciated. It took the pandemic to make that happen. For too long, she says, society has looked down on day care — as somehow less worthy than school. And no wonder.

Senate Democrats weigh extending Biden's monthly $300 checks to families to 2024 in $3.5 trillion social spending plan

Senate Democrats are weighing a three-year extension of President Joe Biden's revamped child tax credit in the $3.5 trillion social spending plan, per a Senate Democratic aide familiar with the ongoing discussions.

The Right Direction: Mixed Delivery Early Care and Education

Without thoughtful implementation, a proposal for universal Pre-K could derail much of the country’s child care system, particularly for infants, toddlers, and their families.

Biden’s Child-Care Plan Might Only Raise Parents’ Costs

Making child care more affordable is a laudable goal of President Joe Biden’s $3.5 trillion spending plan, which would expand and create an array of new social programs. But the approach Democrats are likely to take will perversely increase its price, in much the same way student loan programs do.

Moody’s Report: “Especially Strong Employment Effects” from Federal Support for Child Care

With Release of Budget Resolution, Child Care and Preschool Should Remain a Top Priority in Reconciliation Package UPDATE: On Wednesday, August 11th, the Senate voted to approve the budget resolution, setting the stage for Congressional Democrats to […]

California requires teachers to get vaccinated or undergo weekly testing

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) announced on Wednesday that school employees in the state must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or undergo weekly testing. California is the first state to enact such requirements.

Senate proposal lays path for universal pre-K

Sign up for the daily Marketplace newsletter to make sense of the most important business and economic news. Senate Democrats put out a $3.5 trillion spending proposal Monday that includes a big expansion of so-called safety net programs, including federally funded universal prekindergarten.

How going remote led to dramatic drops in public school students

The pandemic-driven shift to remote learning contributed significantly to a dramatic drop in public school enrollment last year, especially among the nation’s youngest learners.

The Pandemic Is In A New Phase But Child Care Centers Still Struggling

After all the struggles of the past year and a half, Randy Lum and his four-year-old son Miles were eagerly awaiting the first day at Miles’ new preschool last week. But their excitement didn’t last long.

The U.S. Child Care Crisis Explained

The American child care crisis is decades old and continues to disproportionately affect women.

The Child Care Staffing Crisis Is Getting Worse

High turnover and staffing shortages have long been a scourge of early childhood education, but for many child care providers, the struggle has ratcheted up considerably during the pandemic. That was true in the height of the outbreak last year, and it remains true now.

‘We’re back to panicking’: Moms are hit hardest with camps, day cares and schools closing again

Parents of children under 12 are once again struggling to juggle work and child care. There’s concern about another mass resignation of moms.

California labor contract promises raises for child care providers

More than 40,000 California family child care providers will see a raise next year thanks to the Child Care Providers United union’s first labor contract with the state.

Biden’s child care plan faces a critical test

"First we have to build the capacity and get the workers, and then we will have the ability then to move on," Sen. Patty Murray says.

Ask HR: Should I Ask My Employer for Help Finding Child Care?

SHRM President and Chief Executive Officer Johnny C. Taylor, Jr., SHRM-SCP, is answering HR questions as part of a series for USA Today. Do you have an HR or work-related question you'd like him to answer? Submit it here.

Child Care During Competitions Presents A Major Hurdle For Olympians And Paralympians

If you think parenting is stressful, imagine parenting while also competing as a Paralympic athlete. Lora Webster, who competes in sitting volleyball, is a mother of three, with number four on the way.

Combining job training, child care could be ‘magic road’ to single moms’ economic security

Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Special correspondent Cat Wise and producer Kate McMahon report from Mississippi, where many working parents struggled to find affordable, quality child care long before the pandemic.

The ‘stars aligned’ in budget deal, but hurdles remain for early education

California families won big in the budget signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom this week — financing a half-million new child care seats and the nation’s boldest spread of preschool since the advent of Head Start nearly six decades ago.

Mothers struggle to return to work as California reopens

Before the pandemic, Patricia Gutierrez would drop her 8-year-old autistic son off at school in San Jose and her 4-year-old son off at day care every morning.

Child care, fast internet, and bullet train are part of infrastructure? Sen. Alex Padilla says yes

The debate over what exactly counts as infrastructure has been raging for months in Washington D.C. And now we may have an answer.

Post-Covid California state budget with record spending on education heads to Gov. Newsom

With brief but exuberant praise from Democrats and often acerbic criticism from Republicans, the Legislature dispatched the 2021-22 budget bill with spending levels for education that appeared implausible a year ago, in the throes of a pandemic.

As Infrastructure Deal Gathers Steam, Democratic Cracks Begin to Show

House progressives say they can bring down the bipartisan bill if they do not get their priorities too, but as White House lobbying steps up, other Democrats have different ideas.

Four things to know about the California budget deal

California Assembly and Senate budget leaders announce a budget deal that includes stimulus checks, more in-state students at UC campuses and more money for public health and undocumented immigrants. Gov.

The Best Way to Direct Child-Care Assistance Is Under Debate

While bipartisan support has grown in recent years for increasing federal investments in young children, disagreements remain over the best way to direct new spending.

That Time America Paid For Universal Daycare

In World War Two millions of men went to fight and millions of women joined the workforce. There was just one small problem.t Kids. With their parents out of the house, who would take care of the children? The U.S.

What Is in the New California State Budget?

This story was published June 28, 2021 by CalMatters.

California legislators just finalized a budget with TK. But it's missing a major component.

California Legislative leaders released a landmark $263 billion budget agreement on June 25th that would add a year of school for all 4-year-olds. But mixed delivery, a model for child care delivery to full communities, is missing.

Lawmakers, Newsom cut deal on state budget: Record spending on pre-K through college

Legislative leaders released a landmark state budget agreement late Friday that would add a year of school for all 4-year-olds, significantly expand Cal Grants and middle-class scholarships for college students and provide record funding for pre-K-12 schools anxious to use billions in one-time money

COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standards Frequently Asked Questions

Following the June 17 vote by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board to adopt the revised COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards, Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order to allow the revisions to immediately take effect on June 17.

Face Coverings in California Workplaces: Amended Cal/OSHA Rules Expected June 17

In the face of criticism for its recently proposed standards about mask wearing and social distancing, the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (“Cal/OSHA”) has now announced revised amendments to its existing workplace safety rules for California employers.

Learning Care Group Acquires Prestige Preschool Academy

NOVI, Mich., June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Learning Care Group, Inc. today announced its acquisition of Prestige Preschool Academy, 23 preschools serving families in California, Colorado, Minnesota, and Virginia.

Overview of Federal Relief for K-12 Education and Child Care

Since March 2020, the federal government has passed three relief packages that assist K-12 schools and child care providers in their response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Help wanted: Labor crisis plagues US restaurant industry

Sherry Villanueva’s family of Santa Barbara restaurants employed 350 people before the pandemic took hold and darkened dining rooms across California. Now, with the state’s economy officially reopened, about 250 workers are back on the job.

Welcome to the ‘Take This Job and Shove It’ Economy

More episodes ofThe Ezra Klein ShowJune 18, 2021  •  56:32Welcome to the ‘Take This Job and Shove It’ EconomyJune 15, 2021  •  1:06:06The Freeing of the American MindJune 11, 2021  •  1:12:25Sam Altman on the A.I.

Push is on to get San Diego area schools to offer transitional kindergarten

Efforts by state leaders to make transitional kindergarten available to all of California’s 4-year-olds has raised a question that is pitting some San Diego parents against their school districts. Are all districts required to offer transitional kindergarten?

California to Officially Align With CDC Masking Guidance as Part of June 15 Reopening

One of California's top public health officials confirmed Wednesday that the state will align with federal face masking guidance when the state's tiered reopening system is lifted next week.

Transitional Kindergarten For Every 4-Year-Old Could Reshape Child Care In LA — And Not Everyone Loves That

Offering transitional kindergarten for every 4-year-old could reshape child care and preschool in California. Governor Gavin Newsom proposed the transitional kindergarten, or TK, expansion last month, and state legislators included the estimated $2.

Transitional kindergarten for all would hurt early education providers

Early childhood experts agree that systemic educational equities cannot be addressed without equitable access to high-quality learning that spans from birth to age 5. So it may come as a surprise that Gov.

CQEL Benefits and Deals

All the product and vendor benefits and deals included in your CQEL membership

CQEL Resource Library

Resources that can make running a high-quality child care just a little bit easier.

Does Biden’s plan for a $15 minimum wage for child care workers go far enough?

President Biden’s proposal to set a new minimum wage for child care and preschool workers would be a good first step in an industry known for low pay and high turnover, but more must be done to establish a livable wage long term, advocates say.

Policymakers Used to Ignore Child Care. Then Came the Pandemic.

When the economist Nancy Folbre got a call from the MacArthur Foundation in 1998, she was expecting rejection: a courtesy call to deny the funding application she’d submitted. She had reason to think an institution might overlook her work.

Free First 5 California kit remains essential to new parents, especially now

Sacramento, Calif. – In 2021, First 5 California debuted its informative and resource-packed Kit for New Parents to millions of families and caregivers throughout the state.

Progressive lawmakers push child care plans ahead of President Biden's proposal

Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Tuesday unveiled a $700 billion plan to help families get affordable, quality child care in the United States. Her proposal comes as the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the persistent challenges families face finding and paying for care.

California to Receive $3.8 Billion in Federal Cash to Help Childcare Providers

(CBM) – Help is on the way for childcare providers in California — an industry rocked by widespread closures with surviving operators burdened by the weight of sharp increases in their operating costs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

What Biden's recovery plan for families means for California's children

In the wake of the pandemic, which has cast the essential nature of child care into high relief, President Joe Biden has revealed the outlines of a strategy to rebuild the country’s early education and care infrastructure.

Biden Will Seek Tax Increase on Rich to Fund Child Care and Education

The American Family Plan, which the president wants to pay for by increasing the capital gains tax and the top marginal income tax rate, currently doesn’t include an effort to expand health coverage.

Child care providers ask state to hold off on in-person inspections

LIVERMORE, Calif. — his story was originally published by CalMatters

The COVID recession was harder on women. When will they rebound?

While her husband kept his job, Yogi, who isn’t eligible to receive unemployment benefits here, said the financial stress of becoming a single-income household intensified because of the pandemic.

Why does California disappoint in preschool access and quality?

California continues to lag behind other states in preschool access and quality and the pandemic didn’t help matters, according to a national report that ranks all state-funded preschool programs.

Recovering from the pandemic by investing in our earliest learners

In a virtual classroom visit last month, I unexpectedly saw a toddler amongst the nine-year-old faces. One of the fourth graders, with his headphones and video on, was trying his best to actively listen while bouncing his younger sibling on his knee.

Biden administration releasing $39B to help early childhood educators, child care providers

The Biden administration on Thursday announced it is releasing the $39 billion in funding for the child care industry from the American Rescue Plan.

Editorial: Child care is in crisis, but we can fix it — and help the economy, too

Our pandemic-stricken society cheered the brave first-responders and medical crews who confronted COVID-19 risks every day, thanked grocery workers and tipped delivery people extra (you did, didn’t you?).

Almost 2 months later, child care providers still waiting for relief checks

Desperate child care providers who look after state-subsidized children are anxiously waiting on a much-needed one-time stipend of $525 per child promised by Gov. Gavin Newsom back in February.

Pandemic has damaged California’s school children

A comprehensive history of the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on California would surely conclude that the state’s school children have been treated shamefully.

Stanford begins testing Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine on children as young as 2

As statewide eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine expands to residents 16 and older, researchers at Stanford Medicine have set their sights on an even younger group: children ages 2 to 5.

This Bill Could Turn Into America's First Comprehensive Child Care Program

In 2017, a pair of senior Democratic lawmakers first introduced legislation designed to create the nation’s first comprehensive child care system. But they were in the minority then, Donald Trump was president, and the bill never even got a hearing.

Influencing Legislation Toolkit

Dear CQEL Members, Thank you for joining CQEL in our advocacy efforts. As individuals we can only do so much, uniting is our real strength. Join CQEL in our efforts to inform legislators on how the decisions they make affect us and the children and families we serve. No one

The pandemic exposed how Americans devalue child care. Systemic racism and sexism are to blame.

Read Full Article

Child Care in Crisis: Can Biden’s Plan Save It?

In suburban Ohio, a decades-old child-care center that was thriving before the pandemic shut its doors for the final time in August.

Biden to Push Child-Care Spending in Next Economic Proposal

Investments in the caregiving economy, alongside infrastructure and the environment, are expected in the Build Back Better economic package

WATCH: Harris discusses child poverty and education with Secretary Miguel Cardona

WASHINGTON (AP) — Vice President Kamala Harris discussed child poverty and education with Secretary Miguel Cardona on Friday. The Biden administration says it will launch a major campaign to make Americans aware of the benefits available under the $1.

Guest view: Funding the childcare industry supports working women

With a lack of societal and government support during the pandemic, women are having to make some tough decisions. In the U.S., more than 2.3 million women have left the labor force since the start of the pandemic as shown in research done by The Women’s National Law Center.

Is this finally the moment Americans get universal child care?

We don’t need to tell you America has a child care problem. Many of you can feel it. We certainly can; one of our producers changed a diaper during today’s taping.

States Must Fund Early Child Care Programs

President Joe Biden has identified universal pre-K as one of his priorities, and voters in Colorado and Oregon have passed measures to expand affordable access to care for all families.

The Great COVID Child Care Awakening

A year ago, my husband Matt and I crammed our son, our dog, and everything else we could fit into our car and drove to my in-laws’ in southwest Virginia.

The ‘invisible’ front line workers of education

Skip to content Posted inEarly Education The ‘invisible’ front line workers of education Experts call for more mental health care, help with basic needs for child care workers Get important education news and analysis delivered straight to your inbox Child care workers nationwide are worried ab

Biden’s rescue plan says child care is too important to leave to the market

Reuters/Kevin LamarqueHey, baby!From our ObsessionFixing capitalismCapitalism is just a collection of human decisions. We can change it if we want to.By Senior reporterThe imminent passage of the American Rescue Plan, some $1.

How Have U.S. Working Women Fared During the Pandemic?

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Job losses related to the COVID-19 pandemic have hit women harder than men, starting with the pandemic in early 2020 and continuing one year later through February 2021.

‘Revolutionary’ Federal Stimulus Bill Could Cut California Child Poverty By Half

As President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion virus relief package heads to the Oval Office for his signature, the mammoth spending bill has the potential to reduce child poverty in the Golden State by half.

California’s economy is failing women. Here’s why we need workplace reform

Since the coronavirus began its rampage, with most schools unable to stay open, women have been torn from the workforce. In December, women accounted for 100% of job losses across the country.

Los Angeles schools reach agreement with teachers union to reopen classrooms

The nation’s second-largest district would open for in-person learning in April.

🔒 Member-Only Access to CQEL's New Title 22 Tool

We’ve heard time and time again that Title 22 is confusing, and when a director needs to look something up, it’s frustrating to sort through all those long PDFs. The Title 22 Tool is a highly organized, searchable database of the Title 22 text. Log in to access the tool here.

CQEL Senate Testimony: Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response

CQEL testified at the California Senate's Special Committee on Pandemic Emergency Response. This is the transcript.

How to talk to families about Transitional Kindergarten

Biden pledges to help fix the child-care crisis in America. Here is his plan

President-elect Joe Biden has a plan to help fix what he calls the immediate and acute child-care crisis in America. He unveiled his proposal on Thursday, as part of his sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus rescue package.

New training: Can child cares require employees to vaccinate?

We're announcing a new training all about if you can require your employees to vaccinate, and other topics around the legality of the vaccine for employers. This is free for members 🎉- log in to get your code here then book your spot here. Not a member? Join here now

County-by-County COVID-19 Tier and Vaccine Resources

California has a blueprint for reducing COVID-19 in the state and rolling out the vaccine. This page contains links to all county COVID-19 resources.

PPP 2.0: Funding Guide for Child Cares

A new relief bill will revive the PPP, which helps small businesses maintain payroll with forgivable loans. Here's what you need to know.

Funding Available for California Child Cares

For members only, we've built an up-to-date list on funding available to California child cares. This single resource could get you thousands in grants and tax savings. Sign up by clicking "Subscribe" above.

It’s time we gave women and young children their due

California’s Master Plan for Early Learning and Care may seem at first glance like an overly forward-looking plan in this time of urgent need.

California's Child Care Providers Largely on Their Own to Struggle Through Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has been tough for California’s child care providers. Some saw their enrollment numbers plummet — along with their revenue — as families decided to keep children home.

Three Key Reasons California Must Prioritize Essential Child Care Personnel for COVID-19 Vaccination

California early educators are calling upon Governor Gavin Newsom, California Department of Public Health, and California Health & Human Services to prioritize child care personnel in the proposed rollout of Covid-19 vaccinations among essential workers.

Millennial Readers Share Thoughts on Debt, Child Care Amid Pandemic

One extolled the benefits of investing; another lamented the financial burden of childcare

Child Care Is Back, But Many Providers Are Struggling Financially

As the pandemic wears on, concerns about the stability of the child care system are rising as many Massachusetts child care providers report losing money -- with some closing their doors entirely. Eighty-two percent of the state's licensed providers reopened as of Nov.

Coronavirus Takes Toll on Black, Latino Child Care Providers

Mary De La Rosa stands inside a play structure in her home backyard, that once housed the now-closed child care program, Creative Explorers, Wednesday, Oct. 21, 2020, in Los Angeles.

Another step toward universal preschool in California?

Long a goal of early childhood advocates, universal preschool came a step closer to becoming reality this week.

New day, new rules: Everything to know about California's confusing new stay-at-home order

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- We're in the middle of the worst coronavirus surge California has seen so far, and the state is making moves to shut back down again.

Will Newsom mend the gaps in state’s new plan for early learning?

California’s Master Plan for Early Learning and Care is a “starting point,” but many advocates point to serious gaps that need to be fixed. Kate Karpilow writes on issues affecting women and families, and authored “Understanding Child Care: A Primer for Policymakers,” Kate.

Who will have priority for COVID-19 vaccine?

There’s nothing new about political jousting over shares of a limited but valuable resource. For instance, Californians have been squabbling for decades over divvying up water supplies among agricultural interests, municipal consumers and the natural environment.

New Master Plan for Early Learning and Care points way to California for all

As public servants and mothers whose life work is dedicated to maximizing the potential in all children from birth through young adulthood, we stand together as partners in an effort to transform how we provide every infant, toddler and preschooler a successful start that carries them through school

It's Not Just ABCs — Preschool Parents Worry Their Kids Are Missing Out On Critical Social Skills During The Pandemic

As COVID-19 cases once again spike across the country, parents in school districts like New York City and Detroit face another weeks long stretch of remote learning. This often includes

The parental burnout crisis has reached a tipping point

The ever-shifting demands of parenting in a pandemic are leading to stress, anxiety, and depression. The parental burnout crisis has reached a tipping point “I don’t know anyone that is not struggling” at this point in the pandemic, one mom says.

The cost of child care was already astronomical. In the pandemic, it’s ‘terrifying.’

Once a month, after the kids are in bed, Margie Yeager and her husband convene at the dining room table. She opens her computer and pulls up the spreadsheet where she tracks the family budget. There is one column that’s caused far more stress this year than any other: child care.

Transforming Kids' Worries Into Superpowers

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School Rankings: Framing (Slightly) Differently

You might have thought it would be settled by now, but the school reopening debate is far from over. In a sense, we are in no different a place than we were in September. Schools are open in some places and not in others, and the correlations are odd.

New York City to Close Public Schools Again as Virus Cases Rise

In a big setback for the city’s recovery, the schools chancellor, Richard Carranza, said the nation’s largest district would return to all-remote learning. New York City’s entire public school system will shutter on Thursday, the schools chancellor Richard A.

California's Fiscal Outlook

State Economy Has Undergone Rapid but Uneven Recovery. Although the state economy abruptly ground to a halt in the spring with the emergence of coronavirus disease 2019, it has experienced a quicker rebound than expected.

Coronavirus live updates: Contra Costa County urges families to get tested before Thanksgiving

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- The COVID-19 pandemic is having a major impact across the world and also in cities across Northern California. The latest number of confirmed cases in the U.S. can be found at the CDC's 2019 Novel Coronavirus in the U.S. page.

How an Oregon Measure for Universal Preschool Could Be a National Model

Creators of the Portland-area approach tried to avoid the pitfalls of similar policies elsewhere, and are giving teachers large raises. On Election Day, Multnomah County, which includes Portland, Ore., passed one of the most progressive universal preschool policies in the nation.

Oregon posts workplace outbreaks, California has no such plan

Oregon led with transparency in reporting workplace outbreaks. California shields businesses so as not to shame them. The distinction has workers and public health experts worried.

There's a business case for companies to offer child care benefits

The coronavirus pandemic has exposed the inextricable link between child care and the economy — and it's pushing businesses to confront the cost of working parents' unpaid side gig.

Child care crisis could cost women $64.5 billion in lost wages

A new report from The Century Foundation and Center for American Progress estimates women could lose $64.5 billion a year in earnings if current trends in workforce participation hold. The economic devastation of the pandemic has hit women particularly hard.

The American Government Once Offered Widely Affordable Child Care ... 77 Years Ago

Rachael Shannon gets nostalgic when she thinks of the life she lived in Germany until just a couple of years ago.

California needs a statewide system for measuring kindergarten readiness

We have to recognize that education-related inequities begin before children enter the classroom. Kara Dukakis is a senior program officer at Tipping Point Community, which fights poverty by funding nonprofits in the Bay Area, kdukakis@tippingpoint.org.

COVID could be the wakeup call businesses need to fix a broken child care system

Businesses have finally realized that the child care crisis damages the economy, and that it’s in their best, most selfish interests to help solve it. Back in 2009, when New York City imposed a tax on big businesses to help pay for the subway system, most got on board.

The Rise of the ‘Carebnb’: Is This Home-Based Model the Future of the Childcare Industry?

For the past six years, Brittany Schultz has been a kindergarten teacher in the Denver public school system. On May 28, she left, and on June 15, she opened Ms. Brittany’s Village day care in her home in Commerce City, Colo., with her three children and one from another family.

Who Minds The Children? Parental Childcare Choices

The landscape of childcare in the US has changed markedly over the past few decades. As recently as 1975, more than half of US children had a stay-at-home parent (commonly the mother).

How coronavirus exposed the flaws of the childcare economy

The U.S. government's Bureau of Labor Statistics finds that childcare workers in the nation have a median salary of just over $24,000 a year—below the poverty line for a family of four.

It’s Time to Talk About Covid-19 and Surfaces Again

Beth Kalb was worried about the pews. This summer, the century-old Catholic church she attends in a small town outside Minneapolis had, like many places, reopened its doors with new rituals of disinfection. Kalb had quickly noticed the side effects.

Flowchart: What to do if a child becomes sick or reports new Covid-19 diagnosis

How the Child Care for Working Families Act Benefits Children With Disabilities and Their Families

Authors’ note: The disability community is rapidly evolving to using identity-first language in place of person-first language. This is because it views disability as being a core component of identity, much like race and gender.

'It's My Job To Continue To Push' For More Diverse Early Childhood Leadership

Tashon McKeithan is the executive director at the Child Educational Center in La Cañada Flintridge. (Chava Sanchez/LAist) Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

LAUSD, Board of Supervisors Candidates Lay Out Plans For Early Childhood Programs

Two children in a pre-school class at Young Horizons play with blocks while wearing facemasks. (Chava Sanchez/LAist) Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily newsletters. To support our non-profit public service journalism: Donate Now.

Where Trump and Biden Stand on Child Care

The child care system in the U.S. was already at a tipping point prior to the coronavirus pandemic – too few options, astronomical costs and workers earning some of the lowest wages in the country.

The lack of a national policy agenda for children during Covid-19 — and beyond — causes grave harm

As a neonatal intensivist, helping families and newborns in distress is part of my job. In the intensive care unit, the distress is obvious. Covid-19 is shining a light on distress in children and families that has been largely hidden.

Left without school or day care, farmworkers are bringing their kids to work

Every day after the sun rises in Limestone, Tenn., a 27-year-old Mexican farmworker walks into the barn where she washes and packs yellow squash and zucchini, her three young children carrying their backpacks next to her as she leads them straight to the break room.

Outdoor classes and ‘forest schools’ gain new prominence amid distance learning struggles

We need your insights! In a state as vast and diverse as California, we depend on parents, educators, students, administrators, policymakers and community members like you to help us understand what's working at your schools, colleges and early child care centers — and what must be improved.

Fearing distance learning, many parents opt for preschool instead of kindergarten

Many California parents are opting out of kindergarten this year, due to concerns about whether distance learning or attending school for the first time with strangers in masks will be good for children.

'Pandemic Pods' Raise Concerns About Equity

As many schools opt for a hybrid or online-only fall semester, some parents are teaming up and hiring teachers to educate their children in small groups — so-called pandemic pods.

Will Distance Learning Make Education Inequality Worse?

Ever since Bay Area school districts announced they would begin the fall 2020 school year with distance learning due to the still-increasing rate of COVID-19 infection across the region, parents have been scrambling to figure out how to manage their children’s schooling.

Child care safety during the pandemic

Child care facilities were deemed essential in the early days of the pandemic. Yet many of them closed as parents pulled children out when stay-at-home orders came. Over the summer, many early care programs began reopening with strict COVID-19 safety protocols.

California Requires Millions of Children To Be Tested for Lead Exposure

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed into law a measure to protect millions of children from the developmental and health impacts of toxic lead exposure. Assembly Bill 2276 ensures that the state screen and test the children most at risk of lead poisoning.

California’s Governor Signs Several Bills Causing Bold Changes to Employee Leaves

You are responsible for reading, understanding and agreeing to the National Law Review's (NLR’s) and the National Law Forum LLC's  Terms of Use and Privacy Policy before using the National Law Review website.

Pandemic Closes 1,500 Child Care Providers, Movie Theaters Request Bailout

On the October 1 edition of the Reporter Roundup, KPCC reporters and a KCET producer discuss the permanent shutdown of child care providers, a call for a movie theater bailout and a powerful artist movement born on Southern California beaches.

California's Child Care System In Crisis

Child Care providers are calling for urgent action from Gov. Gavin Newsom. Amy Johnson reports.

A Quiet Season for California’s Child Welfare Bills

With the close of an abbreviated and narrowly focused legislative session amid the pandemic, some of the least fortunate and vulnerable Californians – those involved in child welfare cases – will receive only modest help in the coming year in the form of new legislation.

California child care providers stand to lose millions of dollars

SACRAMENTO — California child care providers stand to lose millions of dollars after Gov. Gavin Newsom and state lawmakers put their faith in a federal stimulus package that has yet to materialize.

The Effective School Owner: 5 Leadership Strategies for Women

After 24 years as a K-College teacher and administrator, I ventured into the new space of preschool ownership in 2018. I eased into the new role by first surveying the logistics and culture of the school.

California Department of Public Health releases new guidelines for outdoor playgrounds

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nota: Hay nuevas reglas para los parques durante la pandemia y algunos en su área pueden estar abiertos. Para obtener información en español, haga clic aquí.

First-ever report spotlights California, New Jersey, D.C. as best in nation for creating prenatal-to-3 policies that set children up to excel in early education

Only California, New Jersey and the District of Columbia have implemented all of the state policies that research shows contribute to young children’s health and well-being during their first three years, according to a comprehensive new “roadmap” released earlier this month.

Voters Now View Child Care as an Essential Service Like Healthcare and Education

Regardless of party, voters overwhelmingly say high-quality, affordable child care for families with young children is an essential service—just like healthcare and education.

Picking Up the Pieces: Building a Better Child Care System Post COVID-19

Long before COVID-19, the U.S. child care system was in trouble. Last year, Child Care Aware® of America explored that broken system in our report, The U.S. and the High Price of Child Care. We found it was: The child care industry has now shattered completely.

Deadline Approaching: California Sexual Harassment Training

Employees must complete training by Jan. 1, 2021. California law requires all employers of 5 or more employees to provide 1 hour of sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training to nonsupervisory employees and 2 hours of sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training to supervisors and managers once every

The future of the economy hinges on child care

Part of The Great Rebuild Issue of The Highlight, our home for ambitious stories that explain our world. It was a Tuesday in March when Ellen Drolette heard that schools were closing.

Expert Interview: The Impact of COVID-19 on the Future of Child Care

Throughout the coverage of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve heard countless stories from parents and teachers alike about the impossible task of scaling a nationwide distance learning program.

Utah Study Finds Children Bring COVID-19 Home From Child Care Centers

Researchers recently investigated three outbreaks of COVID-19 at child care centers in Salt Lake City. Their findings are helping to fill a knowledge gap on how younger children might spread the virus.

How to Participate in Politics

When it comes to politics, Americans have become pretty pessimistic. People don’t trust the political parties. Voter turnout is mediocre. Cynicism and polarization are rampant. But this pessimism belies a truth: Individual Americans have more political power than they realize.

Child Care Centers Must Now Require Masks for All Children 3 And Older

Preschools and child care centers around the state will soon be required to have all children 3 years and older weak masks. The new regulations require child care programs and camps to create a written policy for mask-wearing.

Mom Shaming’s Running Rampant During the Pandemic

“So you can’t play with us anymore,” she said. She’s not a 4-year-old schoolyard bully, but a 34-year-old women’s studies professor and my new mom friend who lives down the street.

America Needs to Start Treating Childcare as What It Is: Vital Infrastructure

If the highway that connected the residential communities and business district of your town collapsed, the effects on the local economy would be immediate and obvious.

Schools May Get Sued Over COVID-19. 7 Things to Know About Managing That Risk

As school begins in earnest, districts are struggling to get their arms around an elusive but potentially costly challenge: risk management in the age of coronavirus.

How the government failed working parents—and which policies could help

From essential worker stipends to paying daycare tuition, states are trying different approaches to help families with young children weather the pandemic. long ReadThis story is part of Fast Company‘s Reinventing Education package.

Child care providers weigh the costs and benefits of reopening

Jason Gindele runs Mainspring Schools in Austin, Texas. It’s a nonprofit child care center for children up to age 5, mostly from low-income families, and it has been closed since March. He’s aware of how crucial his center is to those families.

Public pre-K programs are facing another lost decade

In California, a plan to expand state-funded pre-K to 10,000 children has been canceled due to a state budget crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. In Wyoming, a public preschool program for children with disabilities and developmental delays will lose $8.8 million in funding.

The True Cost of Providing Safe Child Care During the Coronavirus Pandemic

As the nation continues to grapple with the challenge of the coronavirus pandemic, child care is among the hardest-hit and least supported industries.

Senate’s “Skinny” COVID-19 Package Includes $15 Billion for Child Care from HEALS Act

WASHINGTON – Yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) introduced a paired-down economic relief package, which includes $15 billion in emergency funding for the child care industry.

COVID-19 Has Nearly Destroyed the Childcare Industry—and It Might Be Too Late to Save It

Jenna Antico, a 31-year-old childcare operator in Sarasota, Fla., thought 2020 would be a pivotal year for her business. The daycare facility she started building in 2015 was turning a steady profit, so she leased a second building in October 2019, then purchased a third in late February 2020.

Residents in 22 Northern California counties could lose power for up to 2 days, PG&E says

CALIFORNIA, USA — Update: 6:15 p.m. PG&E said they could be turning off power to parts of the Sierra Foothills and North Bay, impacting up to 172,000 customers in 22 counties.

Why some California classrooms will reopen for child care, though barred from in-person instruction

Some California students may find themselves in child care this fall in the very same classrooms they are barred from entering for in-person instruction.

'Galvanize this moment': California lawmaker hopes newborn speech will propel family leave

SACRAMENTO — It was a revolution with a baby and a blanket.

Many parents fill in gaps for preschoolers unable to go to in-person programs

In the five months since most Californians were ordered to shelter in place, parents and caretakers of preschool students have largely been left to fill the learning gap that began to widen when schools closed in the spring.

Researchers Warn Nearly Half Of U.S. Child Care Centers Could Be Lost To Pandemic

Angelique Speight-Marshall has come up with an ingenious idea to help the toddlers she looks after practice social distancing: She gave each of them a walkie-talkie. The kids squeal with delight as they run as far away from each other as possible, to talk.

Seeking Equity in Early Childhood Education

The work of early childhood educators improves the social, behavioral, and academic development of young children, providing a foundation for success in school and in life. Yet, the early childhood workforce, predominantly made up of women of color, continues to be undervalued and underpaid.

How Strange Bedfellows Can Save Science

It sounds so simple: all we need to do is show people the science and evidence-based research for how to stay safe, stay healthy, save the environment, and more, and they’ll change their behaviors.

With less money and more risk, waves of child-care providers call it quits

Kirsten Hove and her mom have been taking care of kids in San Francisco for decades. Hove’s mother opened a day care program in her home in the city’s Marina neighborhood more than 30 years ago. In 2006, Hove and a family friend expanded the business by opening sites in their apartments nearby.

Joe Biden wants to give working families a break on child-care costs, plus paid time off and access to universal pre-K

For many U.S. families, child care is simply too expensive. Parents regularly pay over $11,000 a year to send their infant to a child-care center, about $10,000 for toddlers and over $9,000 for 4-year-olds, according to Child Care Aware of America's 2019 report.

COVID-19 Prompts Child Care Crisis Across California

Falling enrollment, anxiety about health risks, and confusing guidelines from public health officials have all contributed to a crisis in California’s child care facilities.

California child care system collapsing under COVID-19, Berkeley report says

The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating economic and human impact on California child care centers, forcing hundreds of them to close while others remain open at the risk of illness to both children and staff, according to a new report from the University of California, Berkeley.

Sacramento-region YMCAs partner with churches to offer child care during pandemic

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Playing, learning, and socializing. Three things children can't easily get from a computer screen. Distance learning was supposed to be a temporary solution for education when coronavirus concerns first prompted school closures in the spring.

California family child care providers vote to join union

Khulood Jamil reads to children at her family child care center in Concord. For the first time ever, family child care providers in California who care for children receiving subsidized care will have a union to represent them and negotiate with the state for higher pay and training.

A Child Care Center Followed The COVID Safety Guidelines. It Still Had An Outbreak

Proyecto Pastoral has prioritized caring for children from essential worker families and those who have special needs or are in foster care. (Courtesy Proyecto Pastoral) Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter.

Some School Districts in California Are Using Virus-Closed Classrooms For Child Care

Some California school districts that have closed classrooms in favor of online instruction for the new academic year are putting those buildings to another use: child care.

With Caveats, Hopeful News for Preschools Planning Young Kids’ Return

Anna Almendrala Sabrina Lira Garcia is proud to work as a clinical assistant in the COVID-19 ward of a Los Angeles hospital, but sometimes she wishes she could just stay home with her infant son until the pandemic is over.

Child care is broken. Biden has a plan to fix it.

As Covid-19 runs rampant across California, sickening hundreds of thousands of people, Rosa Carreño’s day care in San Jose has remained open through it all.

How the Child Care Crisis Will Distort the Economy for a Generation

The economic toll of the collapse of the child system will be felt for 20-30 years, says Betsey Stevenson. Zack Stanton is digital editor of Politico Magazine.

The crisis of California’s child care: urgent action needed

California’s child care facilities, including our after-school programs, have been struggling to provide care and services for our young people for many years. For millions of Californians, returning to work will require they have safe places to send their children when they are not in school.

Education and the coronavirus crisis: What’s the latest?

Referring to announcements by Los Angeles Unified and San Diego Unified that they will reopen schools remotely, Gov.

State of Childcare Survey

are surveying child cares nationally to understand the impact of Covid-19 and to figure out what organizations and agencies can do to help child cares.Please fill out the survey to help the industry and gain access to the results. It takes just 3 minutes.

California Child Care in Crisis: The Escalating Impacts of COVID-19 as California Reopens

The COVID-19 pandemic has prompted an unprecedented crisis in California child care.

Covid-19 lawsuits: a school district worry and Michael Drake, UC's new president

Among the reopening anxieties keeping school superintendents up at night is the fear of being sued if a student or teacher comes down with the coronavirus.

California must commit to funding coronavirus protections for child care workers

California’s efforts to reopen our economy during the pandemic created tremendous public health risks, many of which are borne by child care providers.

Big New Obstacle for Economic Recovery: Child Care Crisis

The decision to only reopen New York City’s public schools part time in September illustrates the looming threat to businesses.

Early childhood education and care professionals say coronavirus reveals need for more public funding, systemic overhauls

With the coronavirus pandemic shaking up an already-struggling early childhood education and care industry that lacks the infrastructure of the K-12 system, Massachusetts professionals, advocates and lawmakers on Tuesday called for an infusion of public funding and a reimagining of how the state and

Remembering Sherri Springer, CQEL Co-Founder & President

It’s with great sadness that we share that Sherri Springer, CQEL Co-Founder and Board President, has passed away. Sherri was a dear friend, colleague, and courageous advocate for young children. Her work in childcare and with CQEL has made a profound and lasting impact on the field of ECE.

School’s Out. Parental Burnout Isn’t Going Away.

Here in New York, there are three days left in the school year.

California Coronavirus Testing Task Force

Governor Newsom has announced a COVID-19 Testing Task Force, a public-private collaboration working group with stakeholders across the state to quickly and significantly boost California’s testing capacity.

What Parents Can Learn From Child Care Centers That Stayed Open During Lockdowns

When Arizona schools shut down in mid-March to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Tatiana Laimit, a nurse in Phoenix, knew she needed a backup plan. Laimit is a single mother of a 6-year-old girl, and had recently relocated to the area.

Many jobless parents could have a tougher time turning down work for lack of child care

Although it's still unclear whether schools will reopen in the fall, camps and day cares in many states are operating once again.

Apple’s lack of daycare isn’t an oversight, it’s a feature

After WIRED offered us all a peek into Apple’s new headquarters, one notable fact emerged: there’s no daycare center. Whooooopsie.  Except this was no mistake.

CQEL Event Discount Codes and Recordings

CQEL Members get massive discounts to CQEL's events and trainings.

Newsom agrees to downsize his California budget cuts in a deal with lawmakers

Gov.

Middle-income and rural families disproportionately grapple with child-care deserts, new analysis shows

When Cathy Belair was searching for child care a couple of years ago for her two young granddaughters in Fletcher, N.C., the middle school math teacher said she found only two “quality” options that had space for the girls and also opened early enough for her to drop them off before work.

Will the Pandemic Reshape Child Care for Good?

When children enter Helana Pennywell’s daycare, she scans each small forehead with a thermometer. If they’re free of fever, they’re welcomed inside, where she sanitizes their belongings and makes sure they wash their faces and hands.

Gov. Newsom agrees to nix budget cuts for child care programs, seniors’ health insurance

Facing an estimated $54.3 billion budget deficit because of the coronavirus, California lawmakers on Monday approved a state spending plan that rejects most of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s proposed cuts to public education and health care with the hope that Congress will send the state more money by Oct.

California immunization rates drop 40% during pandemic

California’s vaccination rates for children took a nosedive just a few weeks after Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statewide stay-at-home order in March to slow the spread of Covid-19, causing concerns among health professionals about the potential for outbreaks of other diseases during the pandemic.

How The Systemic Segregation Of Schools Is Maintained By 'Individual Choices'

Sixty-three years after the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, many schools across the country either remain segregated or have re-segregated. Journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones tells Fresh Air's Terry Gross that when it comes to school segregation, separate is never truly equal.

Should I Send My Kid Back to Day Care?

Like many people who live in urban areas, I have a small front yard. But it’s painstakingly cultivated. Here is the gate that my husband welded himself, there the strawberry beds. As the weather has warmed up, my preschoolers have spent more time outside on our stoop.

What Women Need in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic is an unprecedented public health and economic crisis. Policy solutions in response to the pandemic’s devastating impacts on health and economic security must account for the unique needs of women and families, especially women of color.

When Child Care Centers Close, Parents Scramble to Adapt

As lockdowns and quarantines stretch on, reports of child care facility closures have been coming in from coast to coast.

Most 'Pop-Up' Child Care Centers Were Already Watching Kids Before The Pandemic

Socially distant physical education at the Torrance Memorial Medical Center's pop-up child care center. (Courtesy Sharon Drobka) Our news is free on LAist. To make sure you get our coverage: Sign up for our daily coronavirus newsletter. To support our nonprofit public service journalism: Donate now.

Day-Care Centers Are Reopening. Will Families Return?

Covid-19 restrictions on the cash-strapped child-care industry are lifting, but many parents are reluctant to send children back

New childcare solutions: Groups working to fill gaps as parents return to work

LANSING, Mich. — It's the issue on parent's minds as they begin to return to work. Who will safely be able to take care of the kids. Thousands of child care centers are at risk of going broke.

Licensing, CDE, and CDPH Guidance for Operating Through Covid-19

As programs begin to reopen and other programs transition from emergency child care for essential workers to enhanced regular operations, all providers must apply new and updated policies and requirements and must update their emergency preparedness plan.

Child care is still the missing ingredient for a fast economic recovery

After weeks at home, Ana Arroyo, 28, is ready get out of the house and back to work. Her employer, Merced County Community Action Agency, has reopened and her job is just waiting for her. But she can't return — because there's no one to watch her six-year-old son, Javier.

Sexual Harassment Prevention Training (Link to Free Training)

California law requires all employers of 5 or more employees to provide sexual harassment and abusive conduct prevention training. Get the free training here.

Complex health considerations make reopening California’s schools a challenge

Schools are facing a complicated array of health considerations as they decide whether and how to reopen this fall.

Stress in child care will affect recovery from pandemic

The report on “saving Minnesota’s child care sector” during the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the middle of an already exhausting week, following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the eruption of anger, grief and violence that followed.

Coronavirus: California to allow schools, gyms and bars to reopen as state moves to Phase 3

On the same day California topped 125,000 coronavirus cases, state officials released guidelines allowing individual counties to begin reopening gyms, bars, campgrounds, professional sports and a wide-range of businesses as early as next Friday.

California gives counties path to reopen campgrounds, bars, gyms and more as soon as June 12

California campgrounds, hotels, gyms, bars and museums may reopen as soon as June 12 if their home counties can prove to the state that public health safety criteria have been met, according to new guidance issued by state health officials Friday.

COVID and kids: A new inflammatory syndrome poses safety challenge for schools, day care

But now, several hundred cases of the new inflammatory syndrome have been reported in the U.S. It is marked by inflammation throughout the body, affecting blood vessels and organs such as the heart or kidneys, and could lead to coronary aneurysm and toxic shock.

The pandemic exposes US childcare for what it is: ‘a crisis within a crisis’

The coronavirus pandemic has lain bare some of the worst inequities in the US, not least the shortcomings in the US childcare system.

California lawmakers would spare K-12 schools from any budget cuts

In an unusual move to reach a consensus early, California Assembly and Senate leaders announced Wednesday they have agreed on a state budget that would rescind all cuts to K-12 and higher education that Gov. Gavin Newsom has proposed.

Newsom's Proposed Cuts to Child Care Rates Have Advocates Worried

Child care provider Pat Alexander has hung onto her in-home child care center during the COVID-19 pandemic, but just barely. Alexander was caring for 13 kids in her Elk Grove home in Sacramento County, but now she's down to three. So far, she's survived the hit to her income.

Tools to Talk to Children About Race

There’s no question: talking about race can be sensitive, and yes, even a bit messy. Here are some ways to approach it.

As Day Care Centers Reopen, Will Parents Send Their Children?

Reopening requires cash, safety renovations and parental confidence — all of which are in short supply. Venice Ray was eager to return to work when Texas announced last week that child care centers, like the one she was laid off from in March, could immediately reopen.

'Children will not be wearing masks' at Bright Horizons' child-care centers, CEO says

Staff and teachers at Bright Horizons' facilities are required to wear masks, Kramer said. He said the company is encouraging parents to have conversations with their children in advance, so they are comfortable with it. The advice is to tell kids that "heroes wear masks," Kramer said.

Big cuts loom for California preschool, child care programs

Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plans to expand free preschool and increase support for child care may be axed in the new coronavirus economy. Even the littlest Californians have not been spared in the governor’s big proposal to cut a budget decimated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov.

How Universal Pre-K Drives Up Families’ Infant-Care Costs

Bronx daycare owner Angela Salas suspects it’s no coincidence that ever since New York City’s fre­e preschool program for three-year-olds arrived in her borough, her popular home-based child-care program has struggled.

Should the Child Care Industry Get a Bailout?

Democrats propose $50 billion for a business that is in danger of widespread failure — and that many parents need before they can return to work. It has become agonizingly clear to parents of young children that the economy cannot fully reopen without child care.

Commentary: Why Newsom must make child care affordable for Californians

Gov. Gavin Newsom must decide this month whether California families win big, or still wait, on his signature promise: making child care affordable for all.