Rosa Gurmilan | San Ysidro, CA | Child care provider for  15 years

I’ve been a child care provider for fifteen years, but in the last ten years it’s been tough. We’ve had little to no increases in our pay, and it’s been hard at times for me to keep my doors open.

Nearly all the money I make as a provider goes back into my daycare center to pay electric and gas bills, and make the insurance payments. I usually spend money out of my own pocket when I grocery shop for the children, because the program’s nutrition subsidy is not enough to give kids healthy and balanced meals.

It’s frustrating, because in the last decade I’ve seen the positive impact child care has on working families. We have work to do to make sure providers like me can continue our work for years to come.