For the second year in a row, United Way of Western Connecticut and its network of Cora’s Kids child care providers hosted one of seven #MorningWithoutChildCare rallies across the state. Elected officials, child care providers, and supporters gathered outside of the Danbury Public Library on March 8th in support of the movement led by Child Care for Connecticut’s Future, which is working to shine a light on the importance of affordable, quality child care.
Elizabeth Quinonez, Director of Cora’s Kids, kicked off the event followed by speeches and comments from Senator Julie Kushner, Representative Farley Santos, and multiple community leaders, concerned teachers, and parents.
“United Way of Western Connecticut stands in solidarity with child care providers advocating for State resources to support Connecticut’s children, economy, and future by providing safe, quality, and affordable child care for all families and ensuring that our essential licensed center and family child care providers are fairly compensated,” said Isabel Almeida, President of United Way of Western Connecticut, during her speech. “If it wasn’t clear before, the pandemic showed us how important child care is to the stability of our local workforce and to a thriving economy overall. Families should be able to access child care programs that don’t cripple their finances. Educators deserve to be paid wages that can sustain life above the poverty line. Connecticut’s children have the right to high-quality learning environments to support their development and future success.”
Marcela, a mother and early childhood educator, spoke about her personal and professional experience saying “The wages in our field are so low that if I pay for my daughter’s child care, I would be working just to pay for that. I left the workforce like so many other mothers in our community. I loved my job and felt great pride and responsibility knowing I was teaching such young minds and hearts. I couldn’t help but feel frustrated knowing that at the end of a long day of work, many of my colleagues wouldn’t go home … they would go on to second or third shifts of hard work somewhere else to support their families. [Many of the teachers] that went home did so worried that they wouldn’t be able to make ends meet.”
To learn more about our efforts to make child care accessible for ALICE® (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) families in Danbury and Greater New Milford, click here.
