WHEREAS:

Childcare is of paramount importance to meeting the needs of working families and families on welfare forced into mandatory work programs being pushed by the federal government; and

WHEREAS:

Both low-wage-earning parents and those now forced to work to get off welfare desperately need affordable, quality day care in order to remain employed; and

WHEREAS:

As the need for subsidized child care increases dramatically with welfare reform initiatives, low income working families should not have to compete with families transitioning from welfare to the labor force for scarce child care subsidies; and

WHEREAS:

It has been demonstrated that early childhood development programs, such as day care and Head Start, have helped to decrease the dropout rate and illiteracy, and that most children with such training go on to college and most assuredly finish high school; and

WHEREAS:

Research has proven that the quality of child care and the well being of children are closely linked and that the active ingredient in this quality is fair compensation for the child care staff; and

WHEREAS:

Programs are struggling to attract and retain qualified staff because of low wages and benefits.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED:

That in order to maintain and encourage employment, funding for child care subsidies must be increased. The federal government should not "block grant" the funds for day care and Head Start, because it would seriously decrease the funding for these programs; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED:

That this AFSCME convention support the fight for a national, comprehensive, quality, affordable child care system, in recognition that child care is a right and should be made available to every family.

SUBMITTED BY:

Casandra Cox, President
Josephine LeBeau, Executive Director and Delegate
AFSCME Council 1707
New York