SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Child care providers gathered at the County Administration building on Wednesday hoping to send a message to Gov. Gavin Newsom.
They are pushing for a pay increase, saying the cost of operating has gone up and forced many facilities to close during the pandemic.
Shaunte Brown owns “Happy Time Learning Academy” in San Diego. She said before the pandemic hit they normally had 15 families. Over the course of the last 15 months, that number dropped, but her expenses haven’t with all of the COVID-19 protocols that are in place.
She said it costs about $1,300 a month to operate, bills that aren’t covered with the minimum wage child care providers are getting. She added that also makes it tough to hire and keep staff, creating another set of challenges for child care facilities as more parents return to work now that the state has fully reopened.
"They can barely provide their own salary to cover their own bills. So for us to get a raise, that will be able to get more providers to get assistance to get more helpers," said Brown.
Union leaders said the pay raise will be discussed on Thursday in Sacramento.
