NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – The statewide network of county First 5 commissions will honor Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry, D-Winters, with a Champion for Children Award on May 2 as part of First 5’s 20th Anniversary celebration on May 2nd at the capitol steps.
Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon (D-Lakewood) will deliver the keynote for the award ceremony.
Champion for Children Awards are given to legislators who have demonstrated their commitment to young kids in California by consistently supporting policies that improve the lives of families and children ages 0 to 5.
Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry is sponsoring a bill this legislative session to increase pay and recruitment of child care providers (AB 2292).
Only 14 percent of eligible infant-toddlers in California have access to subsidized care, in part due to a workforce shortage that ensued after more than $1 billion was cut from child care spending during the Great Recession.
Aguiar-Curry’s bill would create start-up grants to rebuild child care capacity and increase the reimbursement adjustment factor for infant-toddler care.
“The current reimbursement rate for infant-toddler care providers does not cover the cost of providing care, which has caused many providers to shut down or stop offering care for subsidized families,” said Camille Maben, executive director of First 5 California. “Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry’s bill will help reverse this trend and put our young children on track for kindergarten and beyond.”
Assemblymembers Joaquin Arambula (D-Fresno) and Kevin McCarty (D-Sacramento) will also receive Champion for Children awards on May 2.
First 5’s 20th Anniversary event will celebrate the local partners and state legislators who support its mission of ensuring California’s kids thrive. Kids’ games, a visit from Sesame Street’s Walkaround Rosita, and appearances by visits by state legislators will mark the event.
“Our kids are our collective future. These legislators’ commitment to the wellbeing of California’s youngest children is a step in the right direction,” said Moira Kenney, executive director of First 5 Association, which represents First 5s in the state’s 58 counties. “Families are struggling across our state – with poverty, quality child care, and access to early intervention services. By supporting kids in the early years, we can shape the course of their lives—and our society.”
Aguiar-Curry to receive award at First 5 anniversary event May 2
- Lake County News reports
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