For Immediate Release 

February 23, 2026

Contact: Maya Polon, maya@paschalroth.com

AB 1981 by Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry will tackle California’s child care crisis head-on

SACRAMENTO, CA – The more than 70,000 family child care providers in California represented by Child Care Providers United (CCPU) were proud to stand in support of Assembly Majority Leader and Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair, Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), as she introduced AB 1981 this month. The legislation is a breakthrough for child care providers and the families who count on them, aiming to solve a crisis of low pay and inequality that leaves providers in poverty and families scrambling to find care.  

“Child care providers formed our union and built our strength by coming together to fight for dignity and the profession we love. I’m proud we’ve won healthcare and access to our retirement fund – but I’m still barely scraping by. I have to pay my assistants minimum wage – and I want to pay them more as quality early educators – while the state leaves me searching for pennies in couch cushions. We are so proud to have an incredible child care champion, Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry, in the fight with us as we push to finally reach payment for the full cost of care,” said Anita Vicini, a child care provider in Sonora.

Existing law requires the state of California to adopt a new payment structure for child care providers that fully accounts for their cost to provide care to children of working families, but new payment rates have been delayed for years. AB 1981 gives the Legislature more oversight on this process to reduce further delays and finally address systemic inequities – dating back to emancipation – that continue to result in work done by women of color being undervalued. 

“Families in my community are watching their children grow up on waiting lists – that’s a sign of how broken our system is. But how do you convince providers to join an industry where you’re guaranteed to take home next to no pay? This work is a labor of love but love cannot pay my bills,” said Sylvia Hernandez, a child care provider in Van Nuys. “We appreciate that Governor Newsom has said he’s committed to expanding access, but that promise can’t be fulfilled so long as providers are being paid less than it costs us to provide quality early learning to children in our communities.”

Currently, according to state data, 73% of California child care providers do not pay themselves a salary due to inconsistent, low pay from the state that does not cover the full cost of providing care. In addition to paying themselves little or no salary, providers dip into their own pay each month to pay for costs the state does not cover, including time spent preparing their homes each day and transporting school aged children to and from school while their parents are at work.

“Pennies on the dollar and love for our work is simply not enough – we are fighting for full pay and respect. At the same time, working parents face tremendous difficulty getting access to affordable care, threatening to slow our state’s economic growth. Governor Newsom and our legislative leaders have committed to standing by providers and taking steps to expand access to care – AB 1981 is a great place to start,” said Vivian Rene Kuykendall, a child care provider in Sacramento.

The legislation comes at a pivotal moment, as more than two thirds of California child care providers reported being unable to meet a basic need including utilities, healthcare, and housing and almost half of family child care providers in California report relying on public assistance programs. According to a February 2025 report from the California Budget Center, only 14% of children in California who are eligible for subsidized child care were currently enrolled. 

“Child care providers are the backbone of our early education system and our state economy, but too many of these mostly women-owned small businesses are barely scraping by. AB 1981 is about paying them what they’re due—based on what it actually costs to do the job. It makes me sad we still have to actually say that. This bill will require our state agencies to report by January 31, 2027, and each year after, when they’re actually going to implement the new rate system promised in prior budgets. When we pay providers fairly, our communities are stronger, and we can support our working parents,” said Legislative Women’s Caucus Chair and Assembly Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters). “After almost two decades of unkept promises, we need real accountability from our state government so our providers can stay open, and our families can find essential care. It’s that simple.”

AB 1981 is currently awaiting referral to Assembly policy committee.

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Child Care Providers United brings together more than 70,000 family child care providers across California and is a partnership of SEIU Local 99, SEIU Local 521, and UDW/AFSCME Local 3930.