WHEREAS:

Investing in quality, licensed, and affordable child care and early childhood education programs that meet the diverse needs of working people is critical to the long-term well-being and resilience of children, their families, the workforce and the nation; and

WHEREAS:

Since before the pandemic, child care providers, especially providers offering care from their homes, and Head Start workers have faced inadequate reimbursement, wages and other supports, with more than half relying on public assistance programs and the vast majority making less than $15 an hour; and

WHEREAS:

The COVID-19 pandemic has made it more difficult for these providers to operate, with increased operating costs and reduced revenues, causing nearly 10% of the nation’s child care providers to close their doors permanently, with many more scaling back operations and laying off staff, further decreasing the supply of quality, licensed, and affordable child care available to working families; and

WHEREAS:

Many AFSCME members, especially those who work in public and private facilities that operate 24 hours per day, struggle to find licensed and affordable programs that meet the needs of their work schedule, including evenings, weekends, and public holidays, forcing many of them to drop out of the workforce to care for their child or work fewer hours; and

WHEREAS:

Unions fight to improve workers' pay and working conditions, as well as service quality and affordability in child care, Head Start programs, K-12 schools, colleges and universities across the country; and

WHEREAS:

AFSCME represents tens of thousands of dedicated early learning professionals who provide care in their homes, child care centers and Head Start centers across the country.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

Delegates to AFSCME’s 45th Convention reaffirm their commitment to using unionized child care services and supporting child care providers in their communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

AFSCME and its affiliates continue to support increasing state and federal funding for Head Start programs, the Child Care Development Block Grant and refundable tax credits for low-income parents, in order to ensure working families have access to quality and affordable child care in their communities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

AFSCME and its affiliates support using state funds and additional federal funding to make additional investments in subsidies for family child care providers who care for children utilizing public subsidies in order to give early childhood education professionals the financial resources they need to expand access to their programs for working families and increase wages and benefits for staff; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED:

AFSCME and its affiliates are urged to participate in child care campaigns of AFSCME and other union-represented child care providers in order for these workers to have their voices heard by policymakers who craft the laws and regulations that affect them and the children that they serve.

SUBMITTED BY:
Mary E. Sullivan, President
Richard Bebo, Secretary
CSEA/AFSCME Local 1000
New York