New California bill would require employers to pay for backup child care

California became the first state in the nation to offer parents Paid Family Leave in 2014. Now, Assemblywoman Wendy Carrillo, D-Los Angeles, has introduced legislation that would require large California-based companies to provide up to 60 hours of subsidized backup care to parents with children under 14. The bill comes at a time when many women are dropping out of the workforce to care for their children during the pandemic.

“Covid-19 has impacted women, and specifically women of color, at disproportionate rates,” Carrillo told CNBC reported. “Now, more than ever, is the time to re-imagine and rebuild systems that work for women and that work for families.”

If the bill passes, the proposed subsidized care mandate would go into effect Jan. 1, 2022. The bill, which would only apply to companies with more than 1,000 employees, would be the first of its kind in the country, as Bloomberg noted.

Some early childhood advocates have questioned the practicality of the bill given the scarcity of child care slots in the state and the overall complexity of navigating the system, but others laud the attempt to make child care more accessible for working families.

“Treating back up child care as a workplace support for parents and for employers makes economic sense all around,” said Lea Austin, executive director of the Center for the Study of Child Care Employment (CSCCE) at the UC Berkeley. “Such a provision goes hand-in-hand with access to paid time off and sick leave — working parents need options to support both their ability to be at work and also to take time when needed to care for their own children.”