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Superintendent Austin Beutner Announces Childcare Support For Employees As They Prepare to Return to Schools (04-05-21)

CONTACT:                                                                FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Shannon Haber, 213-393-1289                             April 5, 2021

 

Superintendent Austin Beutner Announces Childcare Support
For Employees As They Prepare to Return to Schools

  • Program Will Help Employees Serve the Needs of Students and Families at schools

  • SEIU Local 99 and Los Angeles Unified are Working Together to Help Families Locate Childcare for Their Families

LOS ANGELES (April 5, 2021) – To provide support for employees who have childcare issues and help ensure the appropriate staffing of schools as they reopen this month, Superintendent Austin Beutner announced today that Los Angeles Unified will provide a monthly subsidy of $500 to employees to help them obtain daycare for their children ages 5 and younger. 

Unlike Los Angeles Unified, many other school districts in the area are not offering full-day, five-day-a-week programs in elementary schools. Employees with younger children have also seen daycare centers near their homes raise their rates, reduce capacity because of safety protocols or close altogether. 

The program provides full-time employees with a $500-a-month subsidy for each child age 5 and younger who is enrolled in a childcare program. It will be available for the rest of this semester and for employees who work as part of summer school through July 31. 

“It’s been a very long year since COVID-19 led to the closure of schools, and many of our employees have had to juggle their responsibilities at work with the need to take care of their own families, including young children,” Superintendent Beutner said. “We have done all we can to take care of our employees, from Hero Pay and extended medical benefits to COVID tests and vaccinations. The support for childcare is another step we’re taking to help our employees so they can keep doing all they can to serve the needs of students and their families.” 

Los Angeles Unified is working with Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 99, Carina Care and the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles to help employees find appropriate in-home and center-based care for their young children. 

“We are proud to work in partnership with Los Angeles Unified and the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles to support all school district workers in need of childcare,” SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said. “Through Carina Care and the Child Care Alliance of Los Angeles, as well as investment from Los Angeles Unified, school workers will be able to access quality, affordable childcare as they return to work to support and provide in-person instruction. It’s a critical first step in the reopening and recovery process. We look forward to continuing to work in partnership with Los Angeles Unified and other partners to help working families find long-term solutions to the need for quality, affordable care for their children.”

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