OTAN News

A Barrier Removed for Low-income Parents Seeking Education

There's a new law on the books in California that will remove a barrier for low-income parents aiming to access education. Under a bill signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on October 12, 2017, poor parents enrolled in English as a Second Language (ESL) or high school equivalency courses will be eligible for subsidized child care. (See full text of the bill online at: https://goo.gl/baZy8r.)

(Full URL is: https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=201720180AB273 )

California has the highest share of adults with limited English proficiency and the lowest share of adults with a high school diploma, compared to other states, according to the California Budget and Policy Center . More than half of low-income children in the state – 1.6 million – have parents who have limited English proficiency and/or do not have a high school diploma.

Child care expenses can hold parents back, eating up over two-thirds of the income of the average single mother.