“Once my kids were born, it really hit home for me why child care is so important and why (paying for it) is such a huge hurdle,” recalls Rachel Minnick, a Parent Voices organizer and Sacramento mother of Josephine, 6, and Hank, 10. “I didn’t qualify for anything and I kept asking myself, ‘How do I afford this and what do we do?’ Affordable child care keeps parents working and gets kids ready for school.”

On Sept 16, parents, families, and advocates rallied for kids at state capitols around the country. Step up for Kids Day, organized by a group called Every Child Matters, called on politicians to make children’s issues a priority. Minnick helped organize the rally in Sacramento.

Invest in kids

“One dollar invested in children now saves multiple dollars in the future,” says Minnick, because children who get needed services are more likely to finish school and less likely to need social services or commit crimes. “We wanted people to really think about that when choosing their leaders this fall.”

A youth speaker at the rally best illustrated this point, she adds. “He had been part of a youth program where he received leadership and job skills. He was building his resume for college and work. Many of his friends are in gangs, and he said that without that program he could be, too. Paying for prison is more expensive than paying for programs that give children a world of opportunities.”

Parents and advocates are calling on policymakers to expand funding for children’s services, including health care for all children, after-school programs, supports for working families, mental health care, and subsidized child care.

“We’re here for kids”

The Sacramento rally brought together 250 parents and advocates. “Getting parents out to the rally was the hardest (part of planning it),” says Minnick. “Parents have so many day-to-day commitments, it’s a challenge to come out. That so many parents came out was very inspiring.”

“(The rally) was a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun,” says Minnick. “We came together to say ‘We’re here for kids and this is what we need.’ (We came) together as a community involved with all of the issues that parents talk about and that affect me personally as a mom. One person might be working on child abuse and another person for after-school care—all of these issues are really connected.”

Parent Voices contacts:

Statewide: Mary Ignatius, 415-882-0234. mignatius@rrnetwork.org
Alameda (Hayward): Jennifer Greppi, 510-584-3115, jenniferf@4c-alameda.org
Alameda (Oakland): Janet Zamudio, 510-658-7101, janet@bananasinc.org
Amador: Brenda Bullington, 209-223-1624, ext. 109, Brenda@hrcccr.org
Butte: Jane Haberman, 530-895-1677, jhaberman@valleyoakchildren.org
Calaveras: Cheryl Berg, 209-754-1075, ext. 115, cberg@hrcccr.org
Contra Costa: Candy Duperroir, 925-778-4739, candy@cocokids.org
El Dorado: Heather Della Ripa, 530-541-5848, hscfcslt@pacbell.net
Fresno: Lourdes Hernandez, 559-456-1100, louh@cvcsn.org
Los Ángeles: Christine Giron, 323-421-2602, cgiron@crystalstairs.org
Marin: Leah Benz, 415-491-5776, leah@mc3.org
Sacramento: Rachel Minnick, 916-369-3387, Rachel.Minnick@childaction.org
San Francisco: Maria Luz Torre, 415-343-3383, parentvoices@childrenscouncil.org
San Mateo: Nelly Puhachevsky, 650-655-6770, ext. 283, nelly@sanmateo4cs.org
Santa Barbara: contact statewide organizers
Santa Clara: Mario Del Castillo, 408-487-0747, mariod@4c.org
Solano: Kathy Lago, 707-864-4620,
klago@solanosfcs.org
Sonoma: Lorie Siebler, 707-522-1413, lsiebler@sonoma4cs.org