Providers win first contract with higher state rates, new role in system and voice for quality care: 5,000 family care providers in Maryland won their first contract with the Department of Education and the Governor's Office yesterday. The historic contract includes a nearly three-percent increase in the state subsidy, access to decision-making committees, and the creation of a new Training Committee of state officials and child care providers to recommend future improvements.

"We hung in there; it's been more than four years. We're really teaching a great lesson to the children in our care: you work hard and stick with it, and you can accomplish anything," said Crystal Barksdale, Kids First Maryland leader and family child care provider in Baltimore County. More contract details on this contract victory for SEIU Local 500 child care providers.

Maryland, Minnesota, Rhode Island
See this page below for child care wins in these states.

California, Massachusetts
Check out seiu2004.org about SEIU Kids First in California and makidsfirst.org about SEIU Kids First in Massachusetts. 

Illinois, Oregon, Washington
Don't miss this page for information about historic agreements in these states.

More at KidsFirstMaryland.org

MD Providers Ratify Historic Contract

In early July, 5,000 Kids First Maryland/SEIU Local 500 child care providers voted by a margin of more than 30-to-1 to ratify their first contract with the Department of Education and the Governor's Office.

After 14 months of negotiations, providers won a nearly three-percent increase in state subsidy rates without an increase in parent co-pays; accountability for late payments from the state; the creation of a new Training Committee of state officials and child care providers to recommend future improvements; and access to important decision-making bodies in the child care system.

"It's a historic moment. Providers who help raise and educate Maryland's most vulnerable children now have a seat at the table," explains Merle Cuttitta, President of SEIU Local 500, of the new contract that will cover providers who participate in the state subsidy program.

Local 500 child care providers first voted to form a union with SEIU in September 2007 after gaining collective bargaining rights through an executive order signed by Gov. Martin O'Malley. In a statewide election, they voted by an 80 percent majority vote to form a union with SEIU Kids First.

Providers worked together for nearly three years to gain that right to vote for their union--forming a statewide steering council and organizing committee, and joining with parents and community advocates to lobby elected officials.

« Read a letter from the bargaining team & contract highlights
« Learn more about SEIU Kids First

More at KidsFirstMinnesota.org

MN Providers Win New Early Ed Investment

After three years of cuts to early learning, Minnesota's waiting list has grown to nearly 5,000 children. SEIU providers made hundreds of phone calls and visits to urge elected officials to invest more in children.

Working together with the early education and advocacy community, providers won improvements from the legislature that will help our kids get the care they need:

• Steps toward more accessible first aid and CPR training for providers
  
• $52 million for the next three years to help restore the Child Care Assistance Program, including relief for some of the families on the state waiting list and a 6% reimbursement rate increase for 2006-7 to help providers continue to serve our communities
  
• $17 million in new funding for early education programs for the next three years.
  
  

RI Providers Beat Copay Hike for Parents

SEIU family child care providers won two victories for affordable, quality child care last month in the Rhode Island legislature, beating back a co-payment hike and gaining access to biweekly pay through direct deposit.

In June 2006, Gov. Carcieri raised out of pocket costs by nearly $700 per year for many families who receive child care assistance. SEIU providers immediately began calling and visiting their representatives to ask them to reverse the hike and help more parents afford quality child care. Just weeks after it took effect, SEIU providers got the legislature to reduce the co-pay increase by half.

Providers also won access to biweekly direct deposit for child care reimbursements. Many family child care providers go an entire month between reimbursement checks--longer when checks are lost or late. Beginning in January, providers in Rhode Island will have access to a more reliable system for reimbursements, so they can deliver more consistent, high-quality care for their kids.

"With SEIU, we've accomplished more in the last two years than we did in the 20 before."
--Nancy Gerber, Eastern Washington Family Child Care Association President

Child care associations have built strong networks for providers, parents, and communities, and given us the experience and skills we need to be advocates for quality child care.

Now, association members are working together in our union--SEIU Kids First--to make sure we are treated as professionals in early education and respected as partners in decisions that affect child care and the families we serve.

By forming a union, we can win a contract with the state that guarantees the economic gains we've won can't be taken away. We gain the strength to make child care a more stable profession for providers and an even better place for our kids.

Across the country, associations have joined forces with SEIU Kids First to improve training opportunities, raise reimbursement rates, and win affordable health care:

• In Illinois, SEIU Kids First providers joined together with the Bellwood Quality Providers Network to stop discriminatory zoning restrictions that would have shut down hundreds of child care homes and left a thousand children without care. They went on to win the first contract ever for family child care providers, which includes rate increases, quality incentives, and affordable health care.
  
• In Washington, the Washington State Family Child Care Association teamed up with SEIU Kids First to sort out payment errors that affected thousands of providers. They joined together last year for a voice in reimbursement rates and regulations to promote safe, affordable, quality child care--and in November won a binding contract with the state. Their contract improves subsidy rates, provides guaranteed funding for training, creates a path for license-exempt providers to become licensed, and will give hundreds more providers access to affordable health insurance.
  
• In Rhode Island, family providers in the Day Care Justice Co-op, the statewide child care association, became the first in the country to win health insurance. They joined together in SEIU Kids First to make sure their victory couldn't be taken away, and recently beat back a copay hike that would have increased costs for many of their families by almost $700.
  

Caring for children is the greatest job there is--but low state reimbursement rates don't cover the cost of delivering high-quality care. And with no access to affordable health insurance through their work, many providers are struggling to keep serving their communities.

In April 2005, providers in Illinois made history by forming the first-ever union for family child care providers.  Their victory sparked a national movement.

Today, family child care providers across the country are joining together in SEIU for a strong voice in policies that affect children and working families.

SEIU Kids First has improved early care and education for hundreds of thousands of children by working to make child care a profession where good, experienced providers can afford to stay.

Providers are uniting to win:

• A strong voice in decisions that affect our work and our kids
• Consistent and quality care for children, through wage and benefit improvements that stem the rapid loss of experienced providers
• Opportunities for training and professional development, so more providers have an incentive to stay in the field
• Adequate investment in early care and education, so kids get a good start on life and working families get the support they need.

It's time to build a national movement of parents, advocates, community groups, political leaders, and working families committed to putting children first.

The strides we've made show that when we stand together, we can hold politicians accountable and win for affordable, quality child care.

 

More than 90,000 family child care providers across the country have already joined together in SEIU Kids First for a stronger voice for our professions, our communities, and the children and families we serve.  Together, SEIU family providers are winning the improvements we need to protect quality child care.

 

Carmella Haygood, Illinois
"Until this year, it cost a fourth of my wages just to keep my kids fed. But with SEIU Local 880, we won a food subsidy program. Now our kids get more nutritious meals, and I can afford to stay in business."



June Swett, Massachusetts
"As a family child care provider for 20 years, I feel we should be involved in the decisions that affect child care services and the families who depend on us. With the help of SEIU Local 888 we now have a stronger voice."



Melida Brito, Rhode Island
"Helping children grow and learn is the most important job there is, and working together with SEIU will help make it a job we can keep doing."

Nancy Gerber, Washington
"United in SEIU, we can have a strong voice in the decisions that are made about our kids and our businesses."

JoVann Nash, Maryland
"It's hard to stay healthy taking care of children. Rhode Island family child care providers won affordable health insurance, and united in SEIU to protect the gains they've made. We need that kind of strength in Maryland--That's why I'm joining with other providers in SEIU."


Martina Casey, Illinois
"With SEIU, child care providers are respected as professionals. We know what it takes to provide quality care, and now with our union, we have a voice to make that happen."



Linda Petersen, Oregon
"I've worried that I can't afford to keep providing child care, but so many parents and kids count on me. That's why I'm counting on our union with SEIU to improve our jobs so we can stay in business."

Terry Forde, Connecticut
"Too many families can't afford quality care for their children. Together in SEIU, child care providers have a stronger voice for the improvements our communities need."

 

Family child care providers are working together in our union, SEIU Kids First, to make sure kids can get the quality early education they need to grow and learn.

About SEIU Kids First Contracts that improve care State wins Child care associations ______________ About Child Care: The child care crisis What is family care? Why family child care?

"Too many families can't afford quality care for their children. Together in SEIU, child care providers have a stronger voice for the improvements our communities need." -- Terry Forde, Connecticut

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MD Providers Ratify First Contract
In early July, after 14 months of negotiations, 5,000 Kids First Maryland/SEIU Local 500 child care providers voted by a margin of more than 30-to-1 to ratify their first contract.

Historic Agreements
In Illinois, Washington and Oregon, SEIU Kids First providers have won statewide contracts that increase public investment in early education and improve services for hundreds of thousands of children.

PA Providers Unite
Providers across Pennsylvania will now have a strong voice to stand up for affordable, quality child care after voting by a 95 percent majority vote to join together to form a union with Child Care Providers UNITED--a new union affiliated with both AFSCME and SEIU.