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WHEREAS, through legislative action in June 2018, the Pennsylvania General Assembly amended and supplemented P.L. 31, No. 21, the Human Services Code, updating the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ use of the term “day care” as it relates to children to the term “child care;” and
WHEREAS, this legislative endeavor was the product of concerted advocacy by Trying Together, a Pittsburgh-based organization that supports high-quality care and education for young children by providing advocacy, community resources, and professional growth opportunities for the needs and rights of children, their families, and the individuals who interact with them; and
WHEREAS, improving and modernizing the language used to refer to the care of children plays a critical role in affecting how the public perceives the work of child care, as well as the field’s own accountability in providing high-quality, effective, and robust care; and
WHEREAS, early childhood care goes a long way toward establishing lifelong success for children and their families, holistically enriching the worldview of children in a high-quality, caring, supportive environment in which educated, professional, and credentialed staff provide care for our children, not just for a “day;” and
WHEREAS, as part of Trying Together’s ongoing efforts to improve child care outcomes by advocating for just, evidence-based public policy that centers needs and rights of young children, their families, and the early care and education professionals who interact with them, the organization has begun its “Call it Child Care” Initiative to encourage all of us to use the term “child care” when talking about the irreplaceable work and teaching done by child care professionals; and
WHEREAS, just as everyday residents are encouraged to make use of the term “child care” rather than “day care,” other governmental bodies should follow the lead of the Pennsylvania General Assembly and amend and supplement the language codified as official to better reflect the complexity of a high-quality early care and education program because “child care” is the more appropriate and apt terminology for use; and
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby recognize the need to for the use of appropriate terminology and language regarding child care so that the invaluable and formational role that it plays in a child’s life is more accurately described; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh does hereby declare Tuesday, September 24, 2019, to be “CALL IT CHILD CARE DAY” in the City of Pittsburgh.