Olympia, WA — Moms and kids gathered at the Capitol to make waves and ask lawmakers to support the “Mamagenda,” setting the course for policies that support family caregivers in the workplace, invest in high-quality early learning, make childcare affordable, close the wage gap, and clean up our tax code.

Representative Kristine Reeves (D) announced the details of a historic childcare package, the Washington CAN (Childcare Access Now) Act, broadly addressing access to affordable, high-quality childcare for Washington families. The sweeping legislation will:

• Commit the Legislature to providing all children and families in Washington with access to high-quality, affordable childcare by 2025;
• Cap child care expenses at 7 percent of a family’s income;
• ​​​​​​Immediately increase the Working Connections Child Care reimbursement rate to 75 percent of market rate to stabilize the childcare market and build a foundation to increase access to high-quality childcare; and
• Immediately invest in the Career & Wage Ladder to raise the wages of the childcare workforce, and in the long term invest in a compensation pay scale to raise the wages of childcare providers.

“I hear from parents and caregivers every single day about how real the childcare struggle is,” said Representative Reeves, “Children need to be safe and to have enriching places to learn and grow, and access to high-quality childcare is a real lifesaver for working families.”

Moms and kids from MomsRising also unveiled the 2019 Mamagenda, a comprehensive set of family-friendly policies that would help keep moms and our economy afloat. MomsRising members shared messages from moms in Washington state about access to workplace policies that work for them and their families -- policies that help them weather storms and thrive.

"Moms, dads, and kiddos are using their outside voices this legislative session to fight for policies that lift our families and our economy,” said Maggie Humphreys of MomsRising. “With a historic number of women and moms in the Legislature this year, we have the opportunity to set a new course for our state and bring the experiences of moms and caregiving into the heart of policy making.”

Representative Mia Gregerson (D) discussed workplace policies, stating, “Moms and families anchor our economy and I will be working hard this session with my colleagues in the House and Senate to champion legislation that supports families. I am especially proud to be here today as the prime sponsor of much-needed legislation to fix our unemployment insurance laws in Washington State.”

Washington mom Angelica Gonzalez shared her story of encountering some rough waters when it came to finding affordable, high-quality childcare. With the support of Working Connections childcare, Angelica was able to chart the course for stable finances and a positive career path that she’s on today.

MomsRising, a million-member grassroots organization championing policies that strengthen women and families, will be bringing together parents, advocates and lawmakers for a day of training, direct action, and a round table discussion with female legislators of the policies that are real lifesavers for moms.