Impending cuts to child care programs in The City would help businesses survive an increasingly volatile retail environment, but child care workers and leaders say the risk outweighs the reward.
Money from ‘Baby’ Prop C, which has only been available to the Department of Early Childhood since April 2021, expanded eligibility for care subsidies and increased child care workers’ salaries. The commercial rent tax has generated an average of $210 million a year since its enactment in 2018, and 15% of that revenue goes into The City’s general fund, not to child care programming directly. The City has not yet conducted a formal study about whether the tax has caused retail to leave the downtown area.
Ex // Top Stories What to expect from BART, Caltrain, Muni during SF Pride Parade Here's what commuters need to know for Sunday According to the Children's Council of San Francisco, as of May, a total of 1,702 children ages 0 to 5 are waiting for care. About 16% of infants and toddlers have access to child care in The City, based on the available capacity for licensed child care in San Francisco and U.S. Census child population estimates.
Lempert added, “Every sector and workforce relies on child care, we must support and expand this sector for the benefit of the state as a whole and to ensure children have enriching opportunities during a vital time in their development.”