Thanks to the work of UDW-CCPU members, AB 603 passed the state legislature and was signed into law on October 12. This bill will save us time and money for family child care providers, allowing us to focus on creating the best early childhood education experience possible for the children in our care.
AB 603 makes three big changes to the Alternative Payment (AP) programs that family childcare providers rely on. This bill will:
- Finally give all providers direct deposit, making payments available sooner and trips to the bank unnecessary
- Require APs to notify providers in writing if a child in their care loses eligibility or hours, preventing problems with missed payments and unpaid care
- Require APs to describe on checks what is being paid for, making record-keeping easier and eliminating guess work
Though AB 603 institutes commonsense, logical updates to the AP payment system, it would never have passed without the efforts of our members, many of whom testified at the legislature about the challenges of navigating the AP system as a family child care provider.
“Direct Deposit will save me a whole month of waiting for the check to be mailed to me,” said provider Alicia Turner to the state Senate Human Services Committee, which passed the bill unanimously. “That means I will have the money to pay my assistants and all the other expenses I have for my business, not to mention paying my own bills on time.”
And child care worker Jessica Alexander helped legislators understand the need for payment descriptions: “If they could have all the information on the paycheck, that would make it easier for us,” Alexander said. “We could just double check the information on the paycheck with her timesheet and find the error quickly.”
Updating the AP payment system is one of many ways thatUDW-CCPU members are coming together to make child care work better for everyone. We also hold trainings, fight for our respect and rights and hold regular meetings with the California Department of Education (CDE) to make sure the state hears our concerns before making decisions about important issues such as licensing and citations.
And the more member voices we have, the more power we have. Join us!
Come to a meeting and find out how building our unionUDW-CCPU can make the family child care system better for providers, families and communities. Find your nearest child care meeting location and RSVP by calling 1-888-226-7510 or emailing us at familyccp@udw.org.
Are you a family child care provider? Are you not yet a member of our union, UDW-CCPU? Join us! By connecting with other providers, we are doing amazing things to make the child care system work better for everyone.
