Title & Author - “Childcare for All" by Sarah R. of New River Valley VA DSA


Whereas lack of access to childcare poses a significant burden to working families across the country.

Whereas universal childcare is the creation of public nurseries, public play-based preschools, and public elementary before-and-after school programs available to all children.

Whereas universal childcare is created through a progressive income tax on top earners.

Whereas wealth is indirectly redistributed by universal childcare tax mechanisms, and this changes the course of childrens’ entire lives - working class children will earn more in their lives as adults, while wealthier children will earn less.

Whereas profit in privatized childcare comes from the exploitation of workers whose wages remain low partly because reproductive labor remains unpaid or underpaid.

Whereas the majority of federally funded means tested non-profit childcare programs create poverty in and of themselves by compensating the median worker $23,760 a year and providing substandard working conditions.

Whereas Childcare for All initiatives are a popular and deeply felt public good organizing effort that address both the safety and socialization of children as well as the pay and conditions of workers in these programs.

Whereas previous childcare resolutions have passed at convention only to result in a continued complete lack of dedicated staff or resources from the DSA towards childcare initiatives.

Whereas members of DSA locals with active Childcare for All workgroups can follow the lead of Portland DSA’s successful Universal Pre-k Now ballot initiative campaign, a homegrown electoral project that brought universal childcare to all 3 and 4 year old children in their county in Oregon, funded by a 1.5% to 3.8% progressive income tax, which only the top 8% of income earners in their county pay.

Whereas in certain states, universal childcare legislation can only be introduced statewide through the General Assembly, and not through direct ballot initiatives.

Whereas the costs and resources necessary to produce statewide universal childcare legislation is greater because the scale is much greater.

Whereas the DSA has a need for an economist staffer to help local DSA Childcare for All workgroups analyze tax bases on the statewide or district level in order to produce viable progressive tax legislation to fund universal childcare.

Whereas DSA locals can viably carry out statewide Childcare for All campaigns to progress universal childcare if DSA locals have actual policy to push.

Be it resolved the DSA will dedicate a half-time staffer to craft the necessary universal childcare tax mechanisms that will change children’s lives and level income inequality in America.

Be it resolved the half-time staffer will also facilitate a consciousness-raising campaign to bring up awareness of this socialist strategy for locals interested in working toward universal childcare through Childcare for All campaigns.

Be it resolved that this staffer will be hired within six months of convention after the passage of this resolution.

Be it resolved that this staffer be paid at least the median income of childcare workers in America.

Be it resolved that the DSA grant this staffer an additional budget of $10,000 that will go towards resources and training for interested locals to help get Childcare for All canvassing campaigns off the ground.