SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — District 7 councilmember Raul Campillo announced Monday that he will request a city facilities assessment for available space for childcare services.
According to the California Budget and Policy Center, 3 in 10 childcare jobs were lost due to the pandemic.
“I was honored to stand in a childcare center this morning to discuss the future of San Diego children and families. Unfortunately, recent trends show that our City is becoming less family-friendly. We need to take bold and immediate action to counter this trend. With that in mind, on Wednesday, I will call for the City of San Diego to conduct a facilities assessment for available space for childcare services to support San Diego parents and families," said Campillo.
San Diego working mom Shelby Gomez tells ABC 10News she had to move in order to find child care during the pandemic.
"I had to move from San Diego to Vista so grandma could watch my two children. It was the only option ... but many families don't have that support," said Gomez.
Among others, Councilmember Campillo was joined by representatives of Educational Enrichment Systems (EES), who said in a statement:
"At Educational Enrichment Systems, we know firsthand the value of partnering with the City of San Diego to make quality, affordable childcare more accessible to working families. On underutilized city land, we transformed two vacant, run-down properties into state-of-the-art childcare facilities in Linda Vista. For over 20 years, we've provided childcare for thousands of working families from all 9 City Council districts, including many children of City employees. This type of partnership works, and we look forward to its expansion."
Michael Zucchet, general manager of the San Diego Municipal Employees Association, was also in attendance to talk about the importance of more accessible childcare for city employees.
"Access to affordable childcare options for City employees and every working family in San Diego is critical. We are very grateful to Councilmember Campillo for his efforts to make San Diego more family-friendly with the creation of a new Office of Child and Youth Success in the City of San Diego, and for requesting this facilities assessment for more childcare services," Zucchet said in a statement.
