Beyond the Pandemic: Meeting Babies’ Needs Requires Intentional State Support

By: Manuel Fierro, Associate Director of Early Childhood Policy; JunHee Doh, Senior Manager of Early Childhood Policy; and Karina Hernandez, Policy and Research Analyst

"During the pandemic, (my) goal was to help more families. If the family needed (care for their babies), I wasn't going to say 'no.'" This is how Angélica Rodriguez responded when mothers, employed as essential workers, knocked on her door at Lots of Tots Academy, her South Central Los Angeles family child care home. Angélica was the essential worker meeting the needs of other essential workers in her community.

Angélica shared how gratifying it was to care for babies and toddlers because she gets to share developmental milestones with families. Findings from our Uplifting Family Voices Report demonstrate the importance of communicating these milestones wherein 93% of Los Angeles County families with babies and toddlers surveyed thought it was extremely or very important for providers to discuss their child’s learning progress/challenges and overall development. Most families (94%) wanted caregivers to respond to each child's individual needs. Being able to accurately read children’s cues and respond to them in a developmentally appropriate manner requires Angélica, and child care providers in general, to have a strong connection with each baby and individualize their approach. Angélica stated, "It is incredible when you learn to understand the baby's language, to identify their needs and wants." Acquiring this ability is critical for babies’ development, given that they are unable to verbally articulate their needs yet. 

Angélica offers a nurturing, linguistically affirming environment that is like their “second home” - a dual language English/Spanish program for Latinx and Black children in her community. This is imperative in a state where the majority of children (ages 0-5) are children of color and children learning English in addition to their home language (dual language learners). Angélica beams with pride when Black families ask her to continue teaching their children Spanish so they can become bilingual. Similarly, 72% of LA County families surveyed indicated that it was extremely or very important for caregivers to be trained to teach in the children's home language and in more than one language. Culturally and linguistically affirming care for babies is key to sustaining strong ties with their families and developing a positive sense of self that leads to their resilience in the future. 

During the pandemic, Angélica also helped the families she served by using her own money from the provider stipends—issued by the state and federal governments—to pay for essential items and food since many families lost their jobs. At the pandemic's start, she paid for and prepared home-cooked grab-and-go meals for them. Instead of using the funds to pay her mortgage, she prioritized the immediate needs of the families relying on her care. When asked why she spent the stipend without hesitation, she said it was "for the families," since they needed food, supplies, and toiletries. Today, she continues to provide care for babies and toddlers in her community, despite the challenges of the pandemic which forced many other providers to close their doors. 

Angélica emphasized that her primary focus was helping families in her community. Like Angélica, child care providers are essential workers that play a critical role in sustaining our communities. However, historically, the early childhood system has been underfunded, undervalued, and founded on systemic racism and sexism, which started with the practice of forced caregiving during slavery. Child care providers like Angélica, who are predominantly women of color, do not receive the respect and resources that reflect what it truly costs to provide high-quality care. This has forced providers to offer uncompensated work and cover costs out-of-pocket to provide a nurturing environment that is culturally and linguistically affirming, and meet babies’ individual needs. 

In late July, Child Care Providers United (CCPU) members voted to ratify the terms included in a historic two year tentative agreement with the State to implement the largest ever increase for providers and a pathway to implement provider payment based on the actual cost of providing care, including an $80 million retirement fund, $100 million for health care and additional funds for training. As state leaders continue building that pathway, it is imperative that decisions are informed by child care providers and families of color, and are designed to redress racial and economic inequities the early childhood field has faced for far too long. This includes ensuring the state’s early childhood system is designed to affirm and leverage the cultural and language assets of California’s babies, and supports their holistic needs so they can thrive.

To learn more about what the state is doing to reform the way child care providers are paid, visit: their website.

Many thanks to those who supported the process to learn from the field and tell these stories: Vickie Ramos Harris, Isabel Gonzalez, Araceli Sandoval-Gonzalez, Ashley Portillo, Ernesto Saldaña, Maria Elena Meras, Patrick MacFarlane, and Kenneth Cole