Did you know that April is Month of the Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month?
Representative from We Are the Care SLO County and First 5 SLO County are giving public comment to our local government agencies emphasizing three points: the Kids Are Essential initiative (to encourage high quality child care); to explore policies of the local cities in regard to family-friendly practices and expand child care offerings; and, honoring the Month of the Child and value of children and families in our county by joining the initiative. A full copy of the statement:
April 2021 We Are the Care Public Comment
As you just heard in the proclamation, April is the Month of the Child and Child Abuse Prevention Month. April marks a time to recognize that our community’s children are precious and the quality of their early years is our collective responsibility. We all have a role to play in ensuring each and every child has access to high quality early environments – at home, at child care, at school and in the community – that will promote their optimal growth and development. You might be wondering how you can honor and support the children and families in our community during the month of April–luckily, we have three opportunities to offer you!
1. “Number 1”: Explore the #KidsAreEssential initiative. This national campaign stands for high quality child care, paid leave, economic security, maternal & child health, and mental health, and was born out of the many crises that are impacting children and families. COVID, racial injustice, and economic instability inspired this initiative, which upholds a goal to promote children in our society. Visit KidsAreEssential.org to learn more.
2. “Number 2”: Assess the policies of the City of Morro Bay in regard to family-friendly practices. Your city is a major local employer and can be an example to other businesses in your community! By requesting HR or administrative staff to evaluate the family-friendly workplace policies currently in place, you can better identify deficits and expand practices to support your employees. As a reminder, the We Are the Care Initiative offers a Family-Friendly Workplace Toolkit containing a diverse selection of ideas and examples that can be implemented in order to better support families. Remember Family-Friendly practices are better for business, better for the economy, and better for your city! Visit slofamilyfriendlywork.org to access the toolkit.
3. Finally, to honor Month of the Child and value the children and families in our county, consider becoming involved with We Are the Care! Parents, business leaders, child care professionals, elected officials, and all other members of the public are encouraged and welcome to join the initiative! We are thankful for our Child Care Liaison on this council, Dawn Addis, but wish to remind you that ALL are welcome. We have four task forces that meet monthly, and we need the minds and talents that we know are out there in our community to help build this important movement. Visit first5slo.org to learn more about the We Are the Care Initiative. A big thank you also to Councilwoman Addis for her “Child Care Chat” event last night! Thank you so much for your time, and for your commitment to children and their families in this city. We will be back again soon with more information and updates.
Ziyad Naccasha is thankful for the opportunity to make a brief public comment on this important issue and to explore how Carmel & Naccasha can join the initiative.
For more information about how you can get involved, visit: Community Action Partnership of SLO, First 5 SLO County, and We Are the Care Initiative.
