Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs Examines System Strains from Rising Costs, Disasters, and Immigration Enforcement

(SACRAMENTO, CA) — On Wednesday, October 15, the Assembly Select Committee on Child Care Costs, co-chaired by Majority Leader Cecilia Aguiar-Curry (D–Winters) and Assemblymember Stephanie Nguyen (D–Elk Grove), held its second hearing under Speaker Robert Rivas’s affordability package. The hearing examined how outdated state reimbursements, natural disasters, immigration enforcement, and chronic underfunding are straining California’s child care system.

“California’s childcare system is part of the backbone of our economy, and right now, it’s stretched to a dangerous breaking point,” said Assembly Majority Leader Aguiar-Curry. “When wildfires destroy child care centers and homes, when fear drives our families and employees out of the system, and when providers can’t keep their doors open—our children, parents, employers and communities all suffer. We must build a better-funded system that reflects the cost of care and supports our families through every challenge because child care isn’t optional, it’s essential.” 

At its second hearing, “Strengthening Child Care Resilience in California: Lessons from Wildfires, Federal Policy Impacts, and the Real Cost of Care,” the select committee brought together parents, providers, educators, employers, and policy experts to examine how natural disasters, immigration enforcement, and chronic underfunding strain families and child care providers. Witnesses described widespread disruptions—from wildfires displacing providers to fear-based disenrollment among immigrant families and rising costs that make care unsustainable. Employers reported productivity losses as parents, especially mothers, struggle to find reliable care. Panelists highlighted that home-based and small-center providers—mostly in rural and low-income areas—are particularly vulnerable, often losing both their businesses and homes during disasters and being left out of recovery programs. Experts warned intensified immigration enforcement is destabilizing care for mixed-status families, reducing enrollment, and driving educators from the workforce. Providers also noted a lack of coordination and guidance from government agencies, making it difficult to respond effectively and reconnect families with care after disasters.

“Affordable child care makes it possible for parents to work, and this has a huge impact on California’s economic strength,” Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas (D-Salinas) said. “We committed to make transitional kindergarten universal and are delivering on that. Now, it’s time to look at whether more is needed, and this committee’s important work will help us determine how to maximize enrollment in existing programs, the feasibility of universal zero-to-3 child care, and ways to protect our services in the face of threats from Washington. We are taking the next step to bridge an important gap for working families.”

The Select Committee on Child Care Costs will continue its work, as part of Speaker Rivas’s affordability package, to identify legislative solutions that strengthen California’s childcare system and workforce participation, in support of working families statewide.

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