Our 2021 in Review

 
As 2021 draws to a close, we at Build Up California would like to wish our growing community a safe and happy holiday season! This year has been full of challenges but also hope and opportunity. 

We give thanks to all our partners, especially child care providers and early childhood educators - together, we have accomplished a lot under unusual circumstances and have many lessons learned that we are carrying into 2022.  As the new year starts, we will kick off a new phase of our work with a  stellar Advisory Board, a solid team of collaborators, an empowering membership program, exciting events, and impactful advocacy efforts. 

Stay tuned for more information about it all, especially our calls to action in the first weeks of 2022! Meanwhile, we hope you have a restful break over the holidays with your loved ones. May the joy of the season continue into the New Year, bringing with it prosperity and greater opportunities for all! 
 

In partnership,

Ericka O. Erickson 
Program and Policy Officer for Early Care and Education | Low Income Investment Fund
Build Up California 

Build Back Better Update

In a considerable turn of events, Senator Joe Manchin announced last weekend that he would not vote for the Build Back Better (BBB) Act (H.R. 5376) in its current version. Since all 50 Democrats must back the bill to secure its passage, his vote is key to moving it forward. 

It was already improbable that the Senate would consider the bill this year. Now, negotiations will continue, and Democrats are considering scheduling a vote in January to build pressure for a deal. The Senate will return from winter recess on January 3rd to pick Build Back Better up as quickly as possible.

As we shared in our November update, a stand-alone investment in child care infrastructure is not included in the legislation. Still, facilities grants are an option within the quality set-aside of the child care entitlement program. An overview of the child care and early learning provisions in the bill is available in a fact sheet published and recently updated by the National Women's Law Center, Center for Law and Social Policy, and The Century Foundation. 

Child care and early learning investments won’t be secure until the bill is signed. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to make systemic changes to benefit communities with the greatest need. We need to keep up the pressure to pass a BBB version that includes investments in our field! Stay tuned for updates and calls to action in early 2022!