San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced Wednesday a major expansion of child care assistance that makes the region the first major U.S. city to guarantee access to child care for every family with children under five years old.
The new initiative, called the Family Opportunity Agenda, provides immediate relief to thousands of families struggling with one of the largest expenses in the costly Bay Area city.
Starting this month, families of four earning less than $230,000 annually, equivalent to 150% of the area median income, qualify for free child care at over 500 providers across San Francisco. Beginning in the fall, families earning up to $310,000 per year will receive a 50% discount on tuition costs.
How the Program Saves Families Thousands
The program addresses a critical affordability issue in San Francisco, where annual child care costs for a single child typically range from $20,000 to $30,000. Many families, even those with six-figure incomes, report living paycheck-to-paycheck due to these expenses, according to The Guardian.
Under the expansion, approximately 12,000 children under age five will newly qualify for tuition support, while more than 7,000 others will see their existing assistance doubled.
"Today marks the beginning of a powerful effort to reduce the cost of living for San Francisco families by tens of thousands of dollars each year," Lurie said in a statement. The initiative aims to retain families who might otherwise relocate to more affordable regions, addressing a broader trend of middle-class families leaving San Francisco.
Funding and Community Support
The city is funding this expansion using $570 million in unspent reserves from Proposition C, also known as "Baby Prop C," a 2018 voter-approved commercial rent tax designed to support child care and early education programs, KQED reported. This approach allows the city to implement the program without requiring additional tax increases or budget reallocation.
Preschool directors have welcomed the expansion. Sara O'Neill, founder of Slippery Fish Preschool, noted that child care costs represent a burden for middle-income families and that the subsidy offers meaningful financial relief.
The Family Opportunity Agenda also includes a pilot program allowing high school students in the San Francisco Unified School District to earn associate degrees or industry certifications through City College of San Francisco, with guaranteed transfer options to San Francisco State University. These programs focus on high-demand fields, including health care, biotech, construction, education, and hospitality, as per ABC7 News.
Families can check eligibility online through the city's Early Learning For All program website to determine their qualification status for free or subsidized child care.
