SACRAMENTO—Gov. Schwarzenegger today vetoed SB 867, which would have given child care providers a voice to improve state child care policies. Parents who supported the bill condemned the move.

"Our children deserve experienced, professional early educators to help them grow and learn," said Katherine Ramirez, a Salinas mother of two who uses home-based child care.

"SB 867 would have helped keep experienced providers on the job and help parents afford better child care options. The governor had the opportunity to stand up for affordable, quality child care, but instead he chose to stand in the way of parents and providers who are trying to make child care work better." 

SB 867 would have helped stabilize child care for nearly 500,000 children by helping experienced providers stay in the field, and improving training to promote quality child care. More than 200,000 California children are on waiting lists for child care assistance, many not getting the quality care they need. Home-based child care providers—who open their own homes to children in their communities—work an average of 67 hours per week and make less than minimum wage after direct operating expenses. In some parts of the workforce, turnover rates approach that of the fast food industry.
 
Despite the veto, providers and their supporters vowed to continue their efforts to secure affordable, quality child care for children and working families, following in the footsteps of child care providers in a dozen states who have won a voice for their profession.

"States across the country have chosen to improve child care by bringing the experience and ideas of child care providers to the table," said Kathy Williams, a child care provider and president of the Child Care Providers United executive board. "The governor's veto put California at the back of the line. While the governor continues to ignore our state's child care crisis, parents who desperately need child care are losing their jobs, and children are growing up without the support and early education they need."

The governor cited the state's budget crisis in his veto message, despite the fact that lawmakers amended the bill to ensure it would have no immediate impact on the state budget.
 
Organizations supporting SB 867 included: New Vision C.M.E. Church, California Child Care Training, Solutions Provider Network, Multicultural Child Care Consortium, Latina American Child Care Provider Association (Ventura County), San Mateo County Family Child Care Association, Asociacion Hispana de Proveedores de Cuidado Infantil de San Mateo County, Family Child Care Association of San Francisco, Sonoma County Child Care Association, Humboldt Family Child care Association, Imperial Valley Family Child Care Support Group, Hispanic Family Child Care Support Group of Marin County, and Watsonville Family Child Care Association.

California Child Care Providers United is a union of thousands of child care providers across California, supported by SEIU and AFSCME.