Family child care providers keep California working, but state subsidy rates are stuck in 2018. Five providers and former Assemblymember Dion Aroner on the fight for the true cost of care. In this episode of 99 Rising, family child care providers share why parents choose in-home child care over centers, what a 14 to 16 hour day looks like, what it really costs to run a home child care program, and why subsidies cover only part of that cost. They also talk about staying open for essential workers during COVID and what they want from California's next governor. Then host Max Arias sits down with Dion Aroner, former California Assemblymember and longtime SEIU leader, to trace how providers won collective bargaining rights through AB 378, the wins secured through Child Care Providers United (CCPU), including health care, a retirement fund, and a training fund, and the fights ahead: AB 1981 (the True Cost of Child Care Act), rates and slots, the 80/20 rule, decoupling private pay rates, and universal childcare. *** Las proveedoras de cuidado infantil familiar mantienen a California trabajando, pero las tarifas de subsidio del estado siguen estancadas en los niveles de 2018. Cinco proveedoras y la exasambleísta Dion Aroner hablan sobre la lucha por el costo real del cuidado. En este episodio de 99 Rising, proveedoras de cuidado infantil familiar cuentan por qué los padres eligen el cuidado infantil en el hogar en vez de un centro de cuidado, cómo es una jornada de 14 a 16 horas, cuánto cuesta realmente operar un programa de cuidado infantil en el hogar y por qué los subsidios cubren solo una parte de ese costo. También hablan de cómo mantuvieron sus puertas abiertas para los trabajadores esenciales durante la pandemia y de lo que esperan del próximo gobernador de California. Luego, el conductor Max Arias conversa con Dion Aroner, exasambleísta de California y líder de SEIU durante muchos años, sobre cómo las proveedoras ganaron el derecho a la negociación colectiva gracias a la ley AB 378. También repasan los logros obtenidos a través de Child Care Providers United (CCPU), entre ellos beneficios de salud, un fondo de jubilación y un fondo de capacitación. Y hablan de las luchas que vienen: la AB 1981 (Ley del Costo Real del Cuidado Infantil), la relación entre las tarifas y los cupos, la regla 80/20, la separación entre las tarifas de pago privado y las del subsidio, y el cuidado infantil universal. CHAPTERS 00:00 Welcome to 99 Rising 01:14 Who family child care providers are (licensed and FFN) 02:56 Meet the providers: why parents choose family child care 11:17 A day in the life: 14 to 16 hour days 17:42 The biggest costs of running a home child care program 20:55 Why subsidy rates cover only part of the cost 23:12 What happens to families when a provider closes 25:14 Essential during COVID, overlooked after 27:29 A message to California's next governor 31:31 How providers organized: introducing Dion Aroner 33:18 How family child care providers won collective bargaining (AB 378) 38:29 The antitrust hurdle 39:52 Recalls, vetoes, and Newsom's signature 42:30 Race, gender, and the legacy of care work 48:06 Three contracts: health care, retirement, and training funds 51:04 The 2025 contract and the Legislative Women's Caucus 54:35 AB 1981: the True Cost of Child Care Act 55:45 Why rates and slots go together 56:37 The budget trailer bill and the 80/20 rule 1:00:42 Decoupling subsidy and private pay rates 1:01:25 Why California hasn't funded the true cost of care 1:05:09 Toward universal child care 1:05:50 Closing FEATURING Paloma Corona, family child care provider, Los Angeles (SEIU Local 99) Lady Bernasconi, family child care provider, Palmdale (SEIU Local 99) Racine Reese, licensed family child care provider Nancy Harvey, family child care provider, Oakland (SEIU Local 521) Laura Aguilar, family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) child care provider Dion Aroner, former California Assemblymember Hosted by Max Arias, SEIU Local 99 99 Rising is the podcast from SEIU Local 99, lifting up the voices of education workers and digging into the labor, political, and cultural issues shaping our lives, our workplaces, and our communities. Subscribe for new episodes. SEIU Local 99: https://www.seiu99.org Child Care Providers United: https://childcareprovidersunited.org #ChildCare #TrueCostOfCare #FamilyChildCare #SEIU99 #CCPU #California #UnionStrong Hosted by Executive Director Max Arias, 99 Rising features candid discussions with Local 99 members, community leaders, labor leaders, elected officials, and movement thinkers—all focused on what it takes to build power and win justice for working people. Presentado por el Director Ejecutivo Max Arias, 99 Rising reúne conversaciones sinceras con miembros del Local 99, líderes comunitarios, líderes sindicales, funcionarios electos y pensadores de movimientos sociales, todos enfocados en lo que se necesita para construir poder y conseguir justicia para la gente trabajadora.
