Child Care Law Center

The Child Care Law Center, or CCLC, is a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to advocating, educating, and litigating for policies that ensure child care becomes a fundamental right for families, children, and providers, regardless of their economic status or race. The mission of CCLC is to fight for policies that are fair and just, focusing on the needs of children, families, and providers in the child care sector.

One of the key areas of focus for CCLC is making child care more affordable for families with low incomes. The organization has been successful in securing waivers for child care fees for families enrolled in subsidized child care in California, impacting over 150,000 families and benefiting those enrolling until June 2023. Additionally, CCLC has played a role in securing funding for an additional 22,000 affordable child care vouchers in California for the 2022-2023 academic year.

Another area of focus for CCLC is increasing the supply of child care. Last year, the organization assisted the California State Fire Marshal in issuing uniform guidance to local fire departments, clarifying that they may not charge fees for fire clearances and unifying rules regarding inspections and fire safety. This advocacy has affected approximately 25,000 home-based child care providers, impacting over 150,000-300,000 children who attend these programs. CCLC also monitors the implementation of this fire guidance to ensure local fire departments follow the law.

Furthermore, CCLC works to protect housing rights for child care providers, advocating for laws and policies that prevent unjust rent increases, evictions, and discrimination. Home-based child care providers often face discrimination when trying to rent and are susceptible to the housing crisis facing many Californians. Promoting and protecting child care providers' homes is critical to addressing the housing crisis and the child care shortage.

CCLC also focuses on increasing economic security for child care providers by providing legal interpretation and analysis to policymakers and policy advocates on various policies, laws, and regulations. This has resulted in accurate and fair reimbursements for child care providers, ensuring they are paid fairly for their work and can meet their own expenses. CCLC has also advocated for more equitable payment rates and retirement benefits for child care providers, who are among the lowest-paid workers in the country.

In summary, the Child Care Law Center is a nonprofit organization that works to make child care a fundamental right for families, children, and providers. The organization advocates for policies that are fair and just, focusing on the needs of children, families, and providers in the child care sector. CCLC has been successful in making child care more affordable, increasing the supply of child care, protecting housing rights for child care providers, and increasing economic security for child care providers.