COPY of 2024 CCPU State-Wide Negotiations Campaign Central

Annette Marie Nicholson

My name is Annette Nicholson , I currently served on the negotiation team. I have been a daycare provider for over 15 years and during that time I realize that something is wrong in the field I love. I know that we are not being paid equitable for the serves we provide and the career path does not afford us retirement and benefits. But I love my career, so when the union came along I was excited to learn that someone was will to fight to make us whole. I was also ready to jump in and serve where ever I could to help make sure that we are made whole. Serving on the negotiating team allowed me to help fight right up front. Making sure the state know what we deserve, what’s fair and equitable to providers and to make sure we get what we need. YES I would like to continue representing our county San Joaquin.

Nancy Harvey Mackey

My name is Nancy Harvey and I have been a childcare provider for the past nineteen years in the City of Oakland and a strong member and advocate for childcare providers. I have been fighting alongside SEIU/CCPU for approximately thirteen years to enhance the entire child care system.

This year, due to my many years of volunteer service and dedication to the ECE community, Assemblymember Mia Bonta of District 18 awarded me the Unsung Hero Award and a Resolution from the California State Assembly. Congressman Eric Swalwell of District 15 invited me to be his virtual guest to President Biden’s State of the Union Address to Congress. In addition to these accolades, a documentary series, written by NBC entitled ‘No Man’s Land’, in which I discuss concerns regarding our challenges in ECE  has won numerous prestigious awards including a Peabody and Emmy Award.

For the past two years, I have had the honor and privilege of serving as your Alameda County Representative on the Child Care Providers United (CCPU)  Negotiating Team. During the course of this term, I have been a part of an amazing group of childcare providers from throughout the State of California. These women and men have worked tirelessly on fighting for rights and benefits in which child care providers had been denied but yet were deserving of. Through collective bargaining rights, we were able to make significant improvements to our industry.

I am so proud and grateful to be able to say that I am a part of the change in our industry. Listed below are a list of the many historic accomplishments and “wins” that I helped accomplish as a CCPU Negotiating Team member. All of these accomplishments occurred during my two-year term.

• A one-time stipend of $525.00 per child enrolled in a subsidized child care program in November 2020. This stipend included children enrolled in Family Child Care Network Program.
• In March 2021, based upon the number of subsidized children that providers had cared for in the month of November, providers received an additional $600.00 per subsidized child.
• In June 2021, ALL licensed providers, private pay and subsidized providers received an additional $3500.00 stipend in order to help maintain their business.
• Sixteen additional paid non-operational days when a provider closes due to covid-19. This brought the total available non-operational days to 40. These 16 additional days were made available retroactively from September 1,2020 to June 30,2021.
• A waiver of all family fees and reimbursement to providers for these fees.
• A 15% pay increase, which will begin this January, for every family child care provider in California. The rates were increased to the 75^th percentile of the 2018 Regional Market Rate.
• An additional supplemental Rate Funding of $ 289 million to be dispersed over the term of 24 months.
• $40 million for additional provider training and education, allowing more providers to become licensed and many other long waiting support.
• Shelter in Place Agreement which stated that providers who care for subsidized children would be reimbursed based on maximum authorized hours of care, regardless of child’s attendance. This agreement gave parents the choice of keeping their children home due to the pandemic and providers the ability to keep their doors open.
• Lastly, a health care plan for Child Care Providers that is the largest Health Care Plan for child care providers in the nation.

Currently, I serve on the following boards and organizations:  Bananas Inc., Alameda County Planning Council, Oakland Smart and Strong, CCPU Provider Legislative and Policy Committee.  As I serve on these different boards, I am forever reminded of the importance of giving of my time and input, making sure that as policy is being discussed and made, child care providers are not being left out.

I am asking for YOUR VOTE; If re-elected to serve as your representative for the next two years, I promise that I will do my very best to continue to fight for more critical benefits such as a retirement plan for all child care providers. Thank you and working together, we can all live the American Dream.

Eduviguez Ramirez

I am a child care provider for 6 years in the city of San José Ca, with experience in early childhood education for more than 12 years and I have a permit as a program director. As soon as I opened my daycare I joined SEIU Local 521 and worked hard recruiting new providers, visiting them door to door and inviting them to be part of our group. I cooperated by leading monthly meetings in our group. I participated giving Mandatory Reporter training, I supported in meetings with the Department of Social Services (License) and the California Department of Education in Sacramento bringing to the table the problems that the providers were facing. I participated in dialogues with politicians (lobby visit) from Santa Clara County and the Capitol in Sacramento making them aware of our needs as providers attracting their attention to support us. I participated in rallies in different cities, driving vehicles to mobilize providers and inviting families to our demonstrations. I promoted house-to-house and phone banking voting for candidates who support our union. Throughout my career, I consider myself capable of being a member of the bargaining team of our SEIU Local 521 union and I will fight tirelessly to ensure that we have a good retirement plan and medical benefits, fair rates, as well as more support for providers. I will also work to raise the professional image of child care providers through education and that our profession is respected and recognized as it deserves.

Patricia Moran

My name is Patricia Moran and I am originally from Bolivia, a country inSouth America. I have 22 years of experience in the Career of ChildDevelopment. I studied law in my native Bolivia and I received my BA in Child Development here in California. After different opportunities and career experience such as Preschool Head Teacher, Spanish Teacher, and Child Development Provider Coordinator at one of the agencies in Santa Clara County. Working at this agency, I came to realize the abuses and discrimination providers had to endure. Having daily contact with providers, I heard their situation and the fear of retaliation if they spoke up. I decided to open my own daycare 8 years ago because of my great passion for educating children. When I was presented with the opportunity to be part of the Union, I took the strength to fight against injustice and abuse and fight for change, positive change. I started to be very active attending lobby visits and provider visits and signed them up in our union, thus growing membership in Santa Clara County. This is me, Patricia Moran, and like I told CDE in our first meeting, “We, providers are no longer afraid to speak up.”

Deborah Carol Corley

My name is Deborah Corley Marzett, but most of you know me as Deborah Corley. Here is a little bit about me: I have been a Family Child Care Provider for 20-plus years.
I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Business proudly obtained from California State University Bakersfield. I am an active member of the African American Child Care Providers Association of Kern County where everyone is welcome. I am currently a member of the CCPU Bargaining Team which won a historic Billion contract for California’s Family Daycare Providers. I was appointed to the Early Child Care Policy-Parent Advocacy Counsel that works directly with Governor Galvin Newsom and his Staff Appointees.
I have been a member of SEIU Local 521 from the very start when they first began the campaign for Family Child Care Providers to become a Union. I have worked closely with the Department of Education and The Department Of Social Services in implementing policy changes that meet the needs of ALL Family Child Care Providers. As a Contact Negotiation Team Member, I will continue to fight for all CCPU Members as well as our Friends and Family Providers in assuring a fair and equitable contract that represents honor and respect for every Family Child Care Provider in California. Thank You.

Iris G. Magana

Hello, my name is Iris Magana, married I have three children, I have been a family childcare provider for over 25+ years, first I was license exempt. I spent years as a caregiver the children of my family, acquaintances, and foster children in their foster homes, among other part-time jobs. I went back to school and took child development classes and was able to get my teacher’s associate permit, I worked for several years in a childcare center. Now I decided to get my license and dedicate myself full time to home childcare. I have always been aware of all the work and difficulties that we as providers go through, in a job that is very nice but at the same time is a lot of responsibility and where we had not been valued as early childhood educators. Now I want to be part of the bargaining table because I want to fight shoulder to shoulder with the other members to be recognized and supported in our childcare careers/business. I am a persevering woman who does not give up. As the leader of Project to Inspire I was a leader in supporting families to advocate for their children and our children in the school district at the county level. Now I am going to fight for the rights of the providers and all the benefits they deserve. I will also fight to be recognized and given what we deserve as family childcare providers, since our work as educators is very valuable.

Claudia Patricia Alvarado

I live in Hollister, San Benito County. I have lived here for 22yrs. I attended Gavilan College and obtained 4 college certificates in Early Child Development. I have experience lobbying and have a passion to fight for provider’s rights. As a child I participated in the Cesar Chavez rallies, Si Se Puede! I also obtained my Child Development Associate. As a member of the union, I have been part of the negotiations team for the past 2yrs. I have also been part of the Retirement JLMC and Rate Structure JLMC. I am bilingual and am passionate about fighting for children’s right and the benefits all providers are long overdue. Providers are the backbone of California and have showed it through the pandemic. I’m married and have 5 children and 4 grandchildren. I enjoy traveling and spending time with my family.

Isabel Cardenas Rico

My name is Isabel Cardenas, I have been a Child Care Provider in Hollister County San Benito for 20 years. I attended Gavilan College from 2004 to 2009, and Cabrillo from 2009 to 2017, I have my CDA and continue to take workshops via zoom. I have my husband and three children, my children have already graduated from the University, now I take care of the children and encourage them so that tomorrow they will be university students. I would like to be at the negotiating table to fight for our rights, to have more increases in child care payments since it is a very delicate job and we do not have what we truly deserve. My goal is to fight together with you to achieve this purpose and “UNITED WE WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED” we will knock on doors and if some are closed we will knock on others but we will not give up.

Maria C Cisneros

 

My name is Maria Cisneros and I am a child care provider in Bakersfield, Kern County. I have been a child care provider for 19 years. My Early Learning education is continuous in ECE courses and workshops because it is important that I continue to provide the highest quality service to all families. As a child care provider I know how important it is to have a voice. And for that reason I have been involved with CCPU since this fight began 17 years ago and I will continue to fight for what we deserve as child care providers. I would like to represent all child care providers at the negotiating table to tell the State of California all the obstacles we face as providers. I have been involved in the last 3 years with CCPU in the form of volunteering at caravans in Bakersfield, calling politicians to tell them to support us, going to Sacramento and Fresno to speak with politicians. I am convinced that together we can achieve a better contract and together we can overcome any obstacle because unity is strength.