Assembly hearing spotlights child-care costs, provider pay and gaps in access

SACRAMENTO — The California State Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs opened its first hearing with parents, family child‑care providers and policy experts testifying that child care in California remains unaffordable and unstable for families and workers despite recent state investments.

Chair Cecilia Aguiar Curry, Assemblymember and co‑chair of the select committee, told the panel that “child care is a critical support for working families and for our economy here in California,” and urged lawmakers to consider long‑term funding and policy changes.

The hearing brought repeated examples of how costs and pay interact. Parent voices leader Quinn Chung described leaving nursing and losing income because of the lack of dependable child care, saying, “I love being able to be there with my daughter, but it’s been really frustrating to not have child care.” Licensed family provider Anita Vicini gave a month‑by‑month tally of operating costs and revenue: “My check was $12,276.42 for 14 full time children in my care,” she said, then listed monthly expenses — housing, utilities, groceries, transportation and staff — that left her little margin and will shrink further when school‑age children shift to after‑school schedules.

Why it matters: California spends billions on early care and has expanded subsidies in recent years, but advocates and researchers told legislators that funding remains insufficient, reimbursement rates lag the “true cost of care,” and provider wages are among the lowest in the state’s workforce. Laura Pryor, research director at the California Budget & Policy Center, said subsidy…