June 20th of this year was an important day for San Francisco residents who care
how the Cityís resources are being spent. It was their only chance to comment on
the City budget before it was finalized by the Board of Supervisors. Although there
was little public notice about this one-day hearing, hundreds of people showed up
to advocate for high priority issues.
While Mayor Brown established budget priorities that reflected the stated needs of
San Franciscans, funding levels for these services is not yet adequate. For instance,
almost all of the child care money will go to people on welfare, while the majority
of parents needing subsidized care in San Francisco are low and moderate income working
people. Parents with children attended the Saturday hearing to speak about the overwhelming
unmet child care needs.
Even though the City budget is the most important policy document created by our
local elected officials, it receives very limited attention. The lack of public input
into such an important process has never formally been addressed.
A Budget Agenda to Improve and Expand Childcare in San Francisco
FACTS
- 6000 desperate families await safe, affordable child care in San Francisco.
- Child care is a cash-starved field, with half of its workforce eligible for Food Stamps
- The cost of quality care for a pre-schooler in San Francisco is at least $6500.
WHAT THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS CAN DO
| 1. Establish a Child Care Quality Enhancement Fund | $1 Million | |
| 2. Increase Subsidies to Low and Middle Income Working Families | $2 Million | |
| 3. Augment the Child Care Facilities Fund | $500,000 | |
| 4. Expand Part-day Programs to Full-day programs | $1 Million | |
|
||
| TOTAL CHILD CARE PACKAGE | $4.5 Million | |