Micaela Mota quote
THIS IS CALIFORNIA

"During COVID, all my household costs have gone up, and now I have to decide if I pay my family fee, pay PG&E, or improve my internet connection for my older son's distance learning. The stress is overwhelming. If I can't afford child care, it puts my education and training as a school psychologist at risk. These kids need me now more than ever. It would be best to have an equitable sliding scale fee structure that would allow lower income families to pay no fee for child care and higher income families to pay a little more so that everyone could get access based on their ability to pay, but that no one should be denied care."

Micaela Mota
Parent
Parent Voices Leader

Design a sliding scale for family contributions

California’s annual spending on early learning and care from all sources is approximately $12 billion, about half of which is paid by families. However, families range significantly in their ability to pay for the cost of care, and face an “eligibility cliff” as their income rises. The Blue Ribbon Commission commented on the need to design a system in which families remain with their early learning and care providers as their income rises, supporting continuity for children and success for families. A well-designed sliding scale for family contributions will increase equity in both access and outcomes.


Why it matters

Adding a sliding scale supports access and continuity of care by allowing children to remain with a care provider even as their family's income may rise.

How we get there