Build the Future works with Stanford and local cities to improve access to affordable childcare

When Jaria Jaug’s family first moved to the United States from the Philippines, they didn’t have much. Unable to afford quality childcare, Jaug’s mother cared for her three children at home while their father worked full-time. As the children grew up, however, Jaug’s mother found that returning to the workforce was easier said than done.

“She still struggles today,” Jaug said. “She does some real estate, but it’s really hard when you stop working for your kids and then you try and get back in.”

Hoping to prevent other families and mothers like hers from experiencing the same obstacles to accessible childcare in the area, Jaug now works for Build the Future Santa Clara County. 

The initiative, which is partially sponsored by Stanford, has made strides in expanding acknowledgment of the role of affordable childcare in local communities and economies. Last October, the initiative worked with the city council of Palo Alto to make the city one of 12 in Santa Clara County that have committed to supporting local childcare, with all seven city council members voting “yes.”

Build the Future uses a two-pronged approach, stimulating grassroots support while pushing for better childcare funding on the policy level. For the latter, their current focus is on getting all 15 cities in Santa Clara County to pass resolutions in support of increasing access to childcare. They have three more to go. 

According to the First Five Years Fund, 94% of parents had to compromise on their careers due to the lack of access to childcare, costing families a total of $8.3 billion per year. On the other hand, investment in childcare has shown to be effective — each dollar invested yields $7.30 for the economy.

For Palo Alto City Councilmember Julie Lythcott-Haims ’89, who advocated for the resolution, childcare is the critical “third leg of the stool” for families, alongside food and shelter.

“Child care providers… are the people we entrust with the care of our children when we’re at work trying to make a living,” she said. 

When Lythcott-Haims was a student at Stanford, a decent job could cover the costs of rent, food and healthcare, she recalled. However, the rising cost of living means this is no longer possible, which is why increased support for childcare is so essential, she added.

According to Georgiana Kuhlman, incoming board chair of Palo Alto Community Childcare, two key problems with childcare access in the Bay Area are cost and availability. 

“It can too easily feel like it’s not worth one parent — ahem, mom — going back to work because childcare costs take up so much of a paycheck or because affording childcare is simply out of reach,” Kuhlman said. In addition, the limited number of slots at childcare providers means that parents have to join waitlists as early as during the first trimester of pregnancy to secure a spot.

According to Jaug, the primary coordinator for Build the Future’s campaign, the process wasn’t always smooth sailing. City managers and mayors may initially see childcare as an unimportant issue, Jaug said. Especially in smaller cities where city managers have a lot of influence, these beliefs can prevent resolutions from making it to city council agendas, she said.

Jaug’s approach centers around providing information consistently showcasing the data and research to highlight how impactful investment in childcare can be for the local economy. Eventually, she’s managed to change people’s minds.

Palo Alto has a long history of prioritizing childcare according to Lee Pfab, executive director of Palo Alto Community Childcare, a nonprofit that has been around since 1974. The city’s Advisory Committee on Early Care & Education (PAACECE) also provides assistance and advocacy for families and providers of early education programs.

Minka Van Der Zwaag, Palo Alto’s Human Services Manager who helped draft the resolution, noted that Palo Alto already has measures like childcare subsidies, after-school childcare programs and grants to early childhood education providers to support families with children. “As a city, as a whole…we have long been invested in child care; Perhaps much longer than other cities in the region,” she said.

According to Phyllis Pires of Stanford’s Employee Support Programs & Services, the University’s assistance in the campaign reflects their larger ongoing efforts to enable access to childcare, including stipends and on-site childcare facilities.

“Stanford is proud to support Build the Future,” she said.

A generation after her own mother’s sacrifice to care for Jaug and her siblings, Jaug’s personal experiences with a lack of childcare fuel her advocacy, especially as she is now considering starting a family of her own. “Someone has to do something,” she said.

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