Child care workers, families and children rallied around 海角换妻 Wednesday to demand that lawmakers approve more funding to buoy the sector.
The first of ten 鈥�'' events was in downtown New Haven. The mood was cheery, yet serious, as child care workers, kids, and families bypassed their normal mornings to come together and ask the state for more child care investments.
Advocates called for more funds, both in the state budget, and long-term 鈥� including passage of a proposed that would invest millions into the sector.
鈥淚t's not easy to be here and ask for help. We shouldn't have to be here asking for help,鈥� Rondraya Barron, a parent, and teacher at Friends Center for Children. 鈥淚'm living paycheck to paycheck anticipating the next pay day, and we need more money.鈥�
Insufficient wages are part of the nationwide issue feeding into the child care crisis, . And while many care centers have the physical capacity to support more children, shows there aren鈥檛 enough workers in the state to safely meet demand.
The proposal passed out of committee with bipartisan support, and awaits further legislative action.
A spokesperson for Gov. Ned Lamont said the administration is 鈥渟trongly supportive of expanding 海角换妻鈥檚 early childhood education system鈥� and that the governor is encouraging the legislature to approve outlined in this year鈥檚 budget proposal.
鈥淲e are concerned that as structured, this spending would be taken off budget, and not subjected to the scrutiny and review of the regular appropriations process, thereby circumventing the fiscal guardrails which were renewed by the legislature last year,鈥� Beth Bye, commissioner of the Office of Early Childhood, .
Eva Berm煤dez Zimmerman, coalition director for Child Care for 海角换妻鈥檚 Future, said approval of the bill would be a step towards fully funding the childcare system.
鈥淐hild care is in crisis. We need a long term plan, rather than floating around that money year after year after year,鈥� Berm煤dez Zimmerman said.
Democratic House Speaker Matt Ritter voiced support for the bill at a press conference on March 28. Ritter said solving 海角换妻's child care problems won鈥檛 happen "in one year or one session,鈥� but that bills like this help start those conversations.
Wednesday鈥檚 day of action wasn鈥檛 just in New Haven 鈥� rallies were held, with over a thousand people signed up to participate, organizers said.
鈥淯s educators have to do it all. We are administrators, social workers, confidantes and we are some second parents to most children,鈥� said Rondraya Barron with Friends Center for Children. 鈥淭he investment we put into child care as educators is priceless.鈥�
