Parents face daunting challenges in finding quality, affordable, accessible child care, especially for very young children. Low wage parents face additional challenges, because voucher payments are so low that they cannot be used at many child care centers and they face punishing increases in child care fees for very modest increases in income.

• Parents are an integral part of Head Start. SEIU members through Head Start mentor new parents, point them to community and job training skills, and make them part of a learning community.
• SEIU Local 503 fought for and won improvements to Oregon’s system, so that parents are rewarded—not punished--for taking a promotion or working a longer schedule.
• In Washington, members of Local 925 gave up their voucher increases in 2009 to prevent cuts to the number of parents and children served.
• Parents have been effective advocates for a voice for early learning professionals, supporting their efforts to form a union by writing and calling state and federal legislators and testifying before legislative committees.