Solidarity Economics Series: Childcare in the Monterey Bay

Co-authored by Gabriella Alvarez (UCSC), Sonja Koehler and Chris Benner (UCSC)

May 2025

The institute’s joint project, Solidarity Economics, has released a report focused on the intersection between childcare and building a more inclusive economy. The report highlights how inadequate access to affordable, quality childcare undermines economic stability and limits opportunities for working families in the Monterey Bay region. These challenges disproportionately impact women, communities of color, and low-income households. The report recommends investing in universal, high-quality childcare as a critical step toward economic inclusion and long-term community well-being.

This is part of The Institute for Social Transformation series on how Solidarity Economics principles of mutuality and movements can be applied to help promote inclusive economic development in the Monterey Bay Region. Each report highlights the ways that our current status quo of inequality undermines our economic prosperity, explaining why this is not inevitable, and how we could build a more robust economy for all.

Click below to download the report in English:

Thank you to the James Irvine Foundation for financial support.

For more information on Solidarity Economics, please see: https://transform.ucsc.edu/work/solidarity-economics-projects