“Don’t be balancing the budget on the backs of our babies,” Dr. Gina Fromer proclaimed as she warmed up the audience ahead of a Mayoral debate focused on Childcare in San Francisco.

During Dr. Fromer’s opening remarks, organizers from the San Francisco Child Care Planning and Advisory Council (CPAC) scrambled to add more rows of chairs as attendees streamed into the room – an impressive feat given the debate occurred at the exact time as the first Presidential Debate between Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump.

Dr. Fromer, a seasoned leader on the issue of families, children, and early childhood education, repeated a mantra of the childcare community, “Every child deserves quality, affordable, and accessible early care and education system services.”

Dr. Fromer knows the importance of this from personal experience. As a young mom of three boys, Dr. Fromer turned to the GLIDE Foundation for support at a critical time to help her make ends meet.

Now, several decades later, she is the President & CEO of GLIDE, leading the organization to expand and fortify services for low-income families and children in San Francisco.

Over the course of the event, Dr. Fromer interviewed four of the five Mayoral candidates competing in the election this November 5, 2024. Mark Farrell, the fifth major candidate for Mayor, had a scheduling conflict during this time. She asked each candidate the same questions: 

• Why are you running for Mayor?

• What is your vision for supporting children between the ages of 0-5 and their families?

• What can the City do to incentivize more families to stay in San Francisco?

• How do you plan to work with the Department of Early Childhood (DEC) on their strategic plan?

• How can we recruit and retain early childhood educators in one of the least affordable cities in the country?

• Will you commit to using Baby Prop C funds to create a universal childcare system that pays the workforce a living wage?

• How do you feel your own childhood is reflected in your view of childcare in San Francisco?

Candidates expressed the importance of creating and maintaining an environment in which all families not only survive, but thrive in San Francisco. Three of the four candidates grew up in San Francisco. The fourth candidate, Board President Aaron Peskin, grew up in Berkeley. Each candidate focused on two key themes: the affordable housing crisis in the Bay Area and the concentration of children in the Tenderloin.

A 2018 ballot measure, known as Baby Prop C, passed a tax on commercial real estate designed with the goal of creating the country’s first city-run universal child care program. Every candidate except Mayor Breed made a steadfast commitment to use Baby Prop C for its intended purpose.

Mayor Breed, who attempted to redirect funds from Prop C in 2023, acknowledged the importance of the issue and touted her plan to invest $120M to expand eligibility for financial support for early learning.

The audience included many immigrant women and women of color, the dominant demographic of early childhood educators. While each candidate espoused their view of how they would strengthen San Francisco’s early childhood education system, they acknowledged the best ideas come from the educators themselves. Over the next 8 weeks, residents of San Francisco will put that expertise to use as they select the next Mayor to lead our city.

For more information on GLIDE’s services for families, visit our Family, Youth, and Childcare Center (FYCC) page on our website.