Why Losing Childcare Means Losing Hope

05/31/2012 – 8:38 am

In February, the Women’s Foundation of California joined the California Budget Project and testified at a legislative hearing in Sacramento. They described how budget cuts have taken a severe toll on the lives of women and families. Daniella Scally, a member of grant partner Parent Voices, also gave a moving testimony about childcare’s role in changing her life. Here is an excerpt.

My name is Daniella Scally. I have three children, a 13 year old son and 4 year old twins. At 19, I was homeless and a single mother.  Thankfully I was able to turn to the CalWORKs program for help. After being on welfare for about a year, I started working two jobs and eventually got a place I could call home, a car, and most importantly my self esteem back. A common stereotype of someone utilizing any kind of assistance is that they are lazy and just want a hand out. When in actuality it is exactly the opposite.

For the past five years I have worked a full time job as a Contract Administrator/HR Generalist for a local landscaping company. I will be graduating with honors this summer from American River College with an associate’s degree in business.  I am proud of these accomplishments and how far I’ve come, but I sit before you today at risk of losing it all.

As a low income working parent I truly live check to check and there are times my kids have had to go without because of it. Like many of the people in this room, I work 40 hours a week, the difference is, what I earn doesn’t give me enough to make ends meet. There are times I have ran out of food before my next check comes in and have had to go to food banks to feed the kids.

Child care is the only thing that has allowed me to continue to work. But once again I stand to lose the very child care that I need to continue to work. I currently pay approximately $300.00 a month towards my child care costs, it is affordable. New proposed cuts to income eligibility would terminate my child care because I am “higher-income.” I would go from paying $300/month to paying $1,500.00/month.  I simply wouldn’t be able to afford the quality care my twins and I depend on. So by following all the rules, progressing forward in my job, and arriving steps away from reaching economic security, these proposed cuts would punish me for doing everything right, and put me back at square one because losing my child care will force me to quit my job. Read More »

By sandesmith | Posted in Economic Opportunity, Stand with Women | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Invest in Cal Grants, Invest in Tomorrow

05/30/2012 – 11:33 am

Vivian Becerra is a role model. The daughter of Mexican immigrants, she grew up in Bell Gardens, a city that is mostly Hispanic and where many of the young people don’t finish high school. Vivian was determined to buck that trend. The oldest of three, Vivian saw her family was struggling to make ends meet. “I knew that continuing my education was the only way to help my parents out,” she explains.

After graduating from high school, she pursued her education at Mount St. Mary’s College with the goal of teaching school-aged children and helping them advance. With financial assistance from the Cal Grant program and the Free Application for Student Aid (FAFSA), she was able to earn her Bachelors of Arts in Liberal Studies and now works for Alexandria House where she coordinates volunteers and the after-school program. Alexandria House doubles as a transitional shelter for women and children and a community center.

“The Cal Grant program can open many doors for people like me, especially those who think that they cannot pay for school. It’s very important that we invest in education because for some people it means becoming a scholar but for some people – like me – it means becoming a role model to their family and community.”

Stand with women like Vivian. Don’t close the door to higher education, the pathway to opportunity for generations to come.  Cal Grants, CalWORKS and subsidized child care and have been cut enough. Tell the legislature to come up with wise revenue solutions, and NOT balance the budget on the backs of women and children.

By sandesmith | Posted in Economic Opportunity, Stand with Women | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

This is My Capitol

05/25/2012 – 1:29 pm

Program Associate Alba Mercado has spent the last year organizing Women’s Policy Institute (WPI)* retreats and working closely with 35 women leaders who were part of the 2011-2012 WPI class. In the interview below, she shares memorable moments.

This year’s final WPI retreat took place earlier this month. Can you share with us your favorite moment from this retreat?

On the second day of the retreat we were invited to the Governor’s Council Room where we heard from Mona Pasquil, California’s Appointments Secretary, a third generation Filipina and the first women of color to be appointed to this position.

After the session, the WPI teams broke out to do some legislative visits and lobby for their specific policy projects while I went to drop off an award to Assemblymember John A. Peréz, whom we honored at our 7th Annual Legislative Reception the night before. As I made my way to his office, I kept seeing WPI fellows left and right.

It was incredible to see them walking down those halls and witness their presence and their power in the Capitol, California’s political hub.  They walked with such purpose and confidence, as if saying, This is MY Capitol. I run this place. Read More »

By womensfoundca | Posted in Grant Partner, Policy Advocacy, Public Policy, Reproductive Justice | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Stand with Women Like Magali Sanchez Hall

05/24/2012 – 4:49 pm

 Magali Sanchez Hall is a California success story. That wasn’t always the case. She is an immigrant, a single mother, and a survivor of domestic violence.

“But because California chose to invest in community colleges, I was able to get an education. Because California chose to invest in CalWORKS, I was able to afford childcare while continuing to work,” explains Magali.

And now, having just finished her last year at UCLA, she is preparing to apply to lawschool. Ultimately, she wants to run for office so that she can help others.

“My success story would not have been possible if Californians hadn’t chosen to invest in programs that help women like me lift themselves out of poverty. But what about the women who come after me? If the proposed budget cuts go into effect, many women in California will not have the opportunities that I have had.”

California can do better. CalWORKS, subsidized child care and grants that provide access to community colleges have been cut enough. Tell the legislature not to balance the budget on the backs of women and children, when the State Board of Equalization lists 500 tax cheats who owe the state over a half BILLION in taxes. See for yourself here: http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/03/02/on-the-money-california-names-500-biggest-tax-cheats/

Join us. Stand with Women

By sandesmith | Posted in Economic Opportunity, Public Policy, Stand with Women | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Inspiring Life Moments by Nancy McFadden and Nicole Vazquez

05/23/2012 – 1:34 pm

What fuels the success and determination of powerful women? A new book called Life Moments for Women: 100+ Extraordinary California Women Share Turning Points in Their Lives, provides food for thought. Nancy McFadden, currently Gov. Jerry  Brown’s executive secretary (and former Women’s Foundation of California board member), and Nicole Vazquez, our incoming Board chair, were featured in this Fox40 segment. Both tell moving stories that feature their mothers. Watch the segment here.  And you can buy the book here. Profits from the sale of the book will benefit the Women’s Foundation of California.

By sandesmith | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Potential Women Voters Outnumber Men in Most Districts in California

05/22/2012 – 6:01 pm

“…solutions always involve altering perspective, replacing tunnel vision with an expanded view that lets in more light, more possibility.” Paul Loeb, in the The Impossible Will Take a Little While: A Citizen’s Guide to Hope in a Time of Fear

What’s the solution to the California budget crisis? It’s not more cuts as usual. The Women’s Foundation of California recently released a report called Falling Behind:The Impact of the Budget Crisis and the Great Recession on California’s Women and Their Families, that showed that California women and children are losing ground due to the combined impact of the recession and state budget cuts. California can do better. We need a balanced approach to the budget that includes revenues. But how will we get there? How will we move from hopelessness to possibility? 

We just did an analysis of the number of women voters as compared to men, and that gave us hope. We saw that women outnumber men. What if the women in this state said, ENOUGH, and used their vote to take a stand of behalf of women and families throughout California? Programs like subsidized child care, welfare to work and community college access are of prime importance to low-income women. These programs help women work and take steps to change their lives for good. Yes, indeed, it would be incredible to see women voters take a stand for the programs that help women escape poverty.

Download the chart that shows just how many women voters there are in California.

By sandesmith | Posted in Stand with Women | Tagged , , , , , | Comments (0)

Congratulations Monica Flores, Our Youngest WPI Fellow!

05/18/2012 – 11:33 am

For the first time ever, our Women’s Policy Institute (WPI) had a teenage fellow. Don’t let her years fool you. Though she is only eighteen, Monica Flores is wise beyond belief. A mother of a 3-year-old, she has been an activist for many years and currently works at the Center for Young Women’s Development, a grant partner.

For Monica, this past year as a fellow in WPI, a program that trains women in public policy and legislation, has been life changing. She was fresh out of high school, her son had turned 3 years old and she had just started attending the San Francisco City College when she was accepted into the program. Needless to say, she had a lot on her plate. Read More »

By sandesmith | Posted in Policy Advocacy, Public Policy, Young Women | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (1)

California Budget Project Summary of May Revise

05/17/2012 – 9:20 am

Trying to understand the May Revise? A very useful tool for doing that comes from the California Budget Project (CBP), a non-partisan public policy research group based in Sacramento.

On Monday, the group issued a statement proposing how we should be thinking about the budget gap. ”Without a balanced approach to addressing the budget gap – one that includes additional revenues – we face even deeper cuts to schools, colleges, and other core public structures that are essential to the lives of all Californians. The tax measure the Governor plans to put before voters in November provides a reasonable, sound approach to stabilizing the state budget and creating a foundation on which to rebuild going forward,” the group said.

CBP also produced a summary of the May Revision, which they will update as new details become available. You’ll find it’s readable and clear. To download the summary, click here. Stay up to date on the signficance of the budget, by visiting the California Budget Project.

By sandesmith | Posted in Policy Advocacy, Stand with Women | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Update on Stand with Women Rally: May 14, 2012

05/16/2012 – 10:28 am

It was so inspiring to be at the rally on Monday. There were almost 100 people there – many of them parents who have learned to advocate for themselves and their children as a result of the work of grant partners Parent Voices and Lifetime.

Senator Kevin deLeon, Senator Carol Liu, Assemblymember Holly Mitchell, Assemblymember Mariko Yamada, Assemblymember Bonnie Lowenthal and Chancellor Jack Scott attended and spoke very movingly about the importance of community colleges, CalWORKS and childcare to helping families to be economically self-sufficient and powerful role models for their children and communities. 

Here are links to some of the coverage that featured the Women’s Foundation of California:
Brown’s California Budget Dilemma No Shocker, Experts Say, by Alison Vekshin and James Nash, Bloomberg
Governor: Tax hikes needed for $16B budget gap, by Nanette Miranda on ABC7
Brown to Detail Budget for Tackling 16 billion Shortfall, CBS 13

And here’s a link to the Governor’s May Revise.

By sandesmith | Posted in Economic Opportunity, Public Policy, Stand with Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Spread the word about the need to preserve programs that protect women and families!

05/11/2012 – 9:39 am

 Women are the backbone of California’s families, workforce and economy. Yet over the past three years, California has chosen cuts-only budgets that have shredded programs critical to the health and safety of women and families. These cuts have had a devastating effect.

This can’t go on!

Help us preserve programs that protect women and families.

You can join us by spreading the word about the need for a balanced budget that includes wise revenue solutions that benefit California’s economy for generations to come.

Use #standwithwomen to tell others. Change your Facebook profile picture to the image above starting today through May 14.  Get your profile picture here. (To download the image to your computer, right click on the image, then select save as (it’s especially convenient to save to your desktop.)

Our goal is to beat back any further cuts to the following programs:

  1. The welfare to work program known as CalWORKs;
  2. Subsidized childcare, which provides vital assistance so that mothers can work; and
  3. Community colleges.

We’re launching the campaign on  May 14 in Sacramento because that’s the day Governor Brown releases his May Revise of the Budget in which he’s proposing even more cuts to these lifeline programs.

If you want to join us in Sacramento for the launch:

Monday, May 14, 2012, 11 AM
Same day that the Governor will be releasing May Revise of the Budget
California State Capitol North Steps
(On the L Street side)
www.standwithwomen.org

By sandesmith | Posted in Economic Opportunity, Policy Advocacy, Social Justice | Tagged , , , , , , , | Comments (0)
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