What did the Affordable Child Care Family Fees Act (AB 92 2023 Gomez Reyes) do?
Child care should be a civil right, not a privilege dictated by social injustices and limitations. The Affordable Child Care Family Fees Act brings us a step closer to this goal. This bill financially liberates families with low incomes. It implemented an equitable family fee schedule effective January 1, 2024. It immediately put money back into the pockets of families and child care providers. What is the law about fees now?
- Families earning below 75% of the state median income (SMI) do not pay family fees.
- Family fees do not exceed one percent of a family’s monthly income.
- The state pays child care providers the total subsidy amount and does not reduce the number of child care spaces due to the reduction of collected family fees.
- Family fees accrued but uncollected prior to October 1, 2023 may be forgiven and not collected. [1]
What are the results of changing this law?
- Eliminating the child care family fee puts money back in the pockets of families. It also puts money back into child care providers’ pockets, who took the hit financially when families could not pay.
- Families who are charged fees are saving an average of $250 per month, with hundreds of families saving nearly $600 per month.
The family fee policy along with many other policies is based in the legacy of racism. California has the resources to pay for child care for everyone.
- To learn more about what family fees are and how it is hurting California families, please read the Family Fees Primer.
- Read the Budget Request Letter written by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes on February 17, 2022.
- Read the Budget Request Letter written by Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes on March 30, 2022.
- Read Advocates’ Budget Letter Request in English, Spanish, and Chinese, written on February 25, 2022.
- Read Advocates’ Budget Letter Request in English, Spanish, and Chinese, written on April 26, 2022.
- Read Advocates’ Budget Letter Request in English, Spanish, and Chinese, written on July 30, 2022.
- You can view the language of the bill through this link.
- Here is a Family Fees Factsheet provided by the Office of Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes.
- Our blog post, Child Care Law Center Cosponsors the Affordable Child Care Family Fees Act (Gómez Reyes), provides a brief explanation of the issue and how the Affordable Child Care Family Fees Act can be the solution.
- The California Budget & Policy Center shows exactly how high California families are paying for their subsidized child care through this infographic.
- View our Family Fee Learning Journey to learn about the legacy of racism behind the family fee system.
- Read the Assembly Committee on Human Services Analysis of AB 92.
- Read the Assembly Committee on Education Analysis of AB 92
