Our Mission
Caring for California Kids,
Raising Up Our Profession
Child Care Providers United brings together thousands of child care providers throughout California to improve our profession and ensure every child has access to quality early learning and care. As union members, child care providers have a powerful voice to improve our livelihoods and the services we provide, for working families whether white, Black, Asian, or brown. We are working for child care for all and unions for all.
Together, we’ve already been able to win rate increases, improved state funding for early care and education, more training for providers, and additional child care slots for families.
We’re stronger when we’re united.
What We Want
As child care providers, we provide essential care and education for the kids in our care – and as professionals, we deserve professional compensation, benefits, and collective bargaining power.Â
Because we have advocated tirelessly for higher rates, access to advanced training, and a voice in state-level policy, we now have the opportunity to be recognized as the official family child care provider union – and win permanent, binding improvements for ourselves, the children and their families. Through a union, child care providers will have a direct voice to negotiate a contract with the state and address many of the issues we care about, including:
- Improving our reimbursement rates and benefits
- Increasing access to child care for low-income families
- Offering high-quality trainings to providers to improve health, safety, and educational standards
Why Join
As a member of Child Care Providers United, we have the unique opportunity to have a seat at the table with decision-makers in the child care system, host our own meetings to become advocates in our profession, and train to become leaders in child care. Together, we can help each other – and thousands of California families who depend on quality child care – access the resources we need. This is our union.Â
“We teach like a teacher. We cook everyday like a mother…It’s hard work.”
The ABC’s of the Building a Better Early Care and Education System Act
This year, providers are fighting for legislation that ensures that California recognizes our union, changing an outdated and discriminatory law that prohibits us from negotiating with the state about our pay, benefits, training and more. Specifically, our legislation lays out the steps on our path to winning our first union contract with the state.
Here are some frequently asked questions and answers about the Building a Better Early Care and Education System Act:
Only by joining together do we have the strength in numbers to negotiate with the state for the improvements we need- something none of us could accomplish alone. For 15 years, providers have been fighting to get our union recognized. Once the bill passes providers will be able to work with the state to identify priorities and improve the quality of child care services for providers, parents and children.
No, family child care providers will not become state employees. We will continue to be small business owners. Our bill allows home-based family child care providers to have a voice so we can work together with the state to:
- Improve access to child care for children and working families.
- Stabilize the child care workforce by giving family child care providers the tools needed to run a successful businesses.
- Increase parents’ options for affordable, quality child care.
- Create training opportunities for that will lead to greater quality early education and care.
No. Reimbursement rates for providers working in the state’s child care assistance program are set by the state and mandated by an existing state law that will be unchanged by bill.
With a united voice child care providers can help improve regulations and increase certification for improved safety and training courses for providers.
Yes! In fact, we can’t afford not to. There is more wealth in California than ever before. We simply have to have the right priorities and put California’s kids first, prioritizing early education.