CIFD’s Child Care Policy and Equity Unit Collaborates with City Leaders and Organizations to Achieve New Milestones in Supporting Families, Providers
The City of Los Angeles, Community Investment for Families Department (CIFD) spearheaded critical child care support this summer to help providers cope with high operating costs as the City’s anti-poverty department focuses on helping families and programs achieve equity.
CIFD launched its Child Care Policy and Equity unit in 2023 to increase opportunities for the more than 200,000 children ages 0-5 residing in the City of Los Angeles and has reached several impactful milestones.
On June 21, the Los Angeles City Council unanimously approved a resolution, authored by CIFD in partnership with Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez, that urges the California Governor and legislature to uphold their commitment to developing and implementing an alternative methodology that will reimburse child care providers at the true cost of providing care.
“This was an important action that added the City’s powerful voice at a critical juncture as State leaders chart the future of child care investments amid severe budget deficits and cuts to lifeline social service programs,” said Councilman Soto-Martinez.
“We know that providers serving low-income families grapple with high operating costs, declining staffing and enrollment, and poverty-level wages, and we’re committed to ensuring they can service affordable, high-quality care.”
CIFD, in its mission to break the cycle of generational poverty, emphasizes working to strengthen resources for children and families and has identified insufficient access to child care as a major barrier to prosperity.
In March 2024, the department’s Child Care Policy and Equity unit received unanimous City Council approval on a new Child Care Strategic Framework, which focuses on four priority areas: reducing costs for providers and families, increasing child care capacity, improving communication, and ensuring the sustainability of programs. The strategic framework was informed by engagement with over 500 stakeholders including focus groups with providers and a survey of Angeleno families that CIFD conducted in the Fall of 2023.
Additional initiatives by CIFD include establishing an interdepartmental workgroup to tackle barriers for child care facilities and developing a heat map of Los Angeles child care capacity by zip code to guide expansion decisions. CIFD is currently working to build out a comprehensive website with critical child care information for providers and families and developing a toolkit, slated for release in Winter 2024, that will walk providers through opening and expanding child care programs in the City.
CIFD is planning an additional webinar this September to share its collaboration with The City Hub and Network for Gender Equity (CHANGE) on the Caring Cities report, a collection of research on caregiving conducted in Los Angeles, Bogotá, and Buenos Aires.
“We will continue to collaborate with elected officials, policy makers, and organizations that share our commitment to improving the landscape of child care and creating an equitable system,” said Abigail Marquez, CIFD General Manager. “Together, we can create generational success for those in Los Angeles and beyond.”
About CIFD’s Child Care Policy and Equity Unit
The Community Investment For Families Department (CIFD) launched its Child Care Policy and Equity unit in 2023 to increase opportunities for the more than 200,000 children ages 0-5 residing in the City of Los Angeles and has reached several impactful milestones.
Vision: To break the cycle of poverty through increased access to high-quality child care options for children ages 0-3.
Mission: To leverage City resources, policies, and partnerships to strengthen the infrastructure of child care in the City of Los Angeles and increase family access to high-quality infant and toddler care settings.