{"id":970,"date":"2023-03-01T22:26:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T22:26:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dev.siliconvalleyrising.org\/?p=970"},"modified":"2023-08-22T16:45:37","modified_gmt":"2023-08-22T16:45:37","slug":"care-cannot-wait-childcare-workers-and-parents-come-together-at-city-hall","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleyrising.org\/es\/blog\/care-cannot-wait-childcare-workers-and-parents-come-together-at-city-hall\/","title":{"rendered":"El cuidado no puede esperar - Trabajadores de guarder\u00edas y padres se re\u00fanen en el Ayuntamiento"},"content":{"rendered":"

This week, we gathered in front of San Jos\u00e9 city hall \u2014 with childcare providers, parents and kids \u2014 to call attention to the urgent need for more child care in San Jos\u00e9, and let our elected leaders know that our kids, working parents and essential workers matter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The proposed City budget for this year includes cuts to crucial programs that allow thousands of San Jos\u00e9 residents to continue to work and support their families, and enable child care workers who provide for children during critical stages of their development.  But we came together to demand a city budget that expands childcare services, rather than cut them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watch a live stream of the event here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we invest  in affordable, high-quality childcare, it benefits everyone involved. Families are able to access the care they need for their children without sacrificing other necessities, parents are able to stay in the workforce, and childcare workers are better able to support themselves,\u201d said Deo Augustine, a child care provider and leader with the Care Workers Council, SEIU 521, and Childcare Providers United. <\/p>\n\n\n\n


\u201cThe financial burden of childcare is so high that most parents that I work with are leaving the workforce or relocating or putting off having children. I want to raise my kids in a San Jos\u00e9 that we are proud of but we can\u2019t do that if the city doesn\u2019t support us, and support new parents,\u201d said Janelle Adams, a city worker, an MEF AFSCME Local 101 leader, and mom of two. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Child care is a fundamental need, and investing in it will make our city safer and more resilient to economic uncertainty, and enable us to solve our staffing shortage. Council member Peter Ortiz, who named child care as a critical piece of socio-economic infrastructure said, \u201c We know that early care and education, mentorship and access to programming has an important role to play that’s why we should be supporting childcare providers, and critical youth programs aimed at helping prevent crime like San Jos\u00e9 Best and the safe summer initiatives\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The majority of childcare workers in San Jos\u00e9, like Deo and several other providers that were present at the rally are also women of color, and as Gabby Chavez-Lopez, Executive Director of Latina Coalition of Silicon Valley pointed out in her speech, latina women were over 30% more likely to stay home and care for their children than white women from similar economic backgrounds. By cutting funding for child care, our City is continuing a harmful cycle of disinvestment that has left so many low income families struggling to make ends meet. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Care cannot wait, and our budget is an opportunity to build a future where children from all backgrounds can flourish. And right now that means: <\/p>\n\n\n\n