No one would think of running a NASA space launch without listening to the astronauts and technicians who know how to make a flight plan. But when it comes to the child care system that literally shapes the future for the next generation, California has spent decades shutting out the voices of child care providers.
That is finally about to change after 16 years of organizing by dedicated child care providers like my mom, and now me. We’ve created our union, met with elected officials, and have earned our seat at the table with the State of California thanks to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s signature on the Building a Better Early Care and Education System Act by Assemblymember Monique Limón just last week.
Our victory makes history in California and it shows marginalized workers across the country that they have the power to fight back and get stronger when they stand together in union. With 40,000 family child care providers now able to hold an election to choose their union, a workforce that is mainly black, brown and Asian women who care for the children of some of the state’s lowest paid workers are now part of the largest organizing movement in the nation.
