When Young Moms Thrive Op-Ed

The When Young Moms Thrive, We All Do (WYMT) initiative is a first of its kind for and driven by young moms in Santa Clara County. This initiative employed young moms ages 12-26 predominantly from East San Jose and Gilroy to conduct research on the current service gaps young moms experience and provide recommendations on how to address them.

In this op-ed, AFG’s Senior Advocacy Fellow Viviana Arenas and Young Women’s Freedom Center Policy Fellow Arabella Guevara, both young moms part of the WYMT initiative, discuss the urgent child care crisis in Santa Clara County, shedding light on the barriers including high costs and cultural stigma that impede their access to adequate child care resources. 

“They just put us in a box,” another participant said. “When they see a young mom, they assume everything about our lives when it’s inaccurate. And that’s why it’s hard for certain people to look for resources because they don’t feel comfortable going and speaking with people that are judging them.”

In addition to painting a picture of the childcare failures in the county, they also outline concrete policy recommendations for solving the childcare crisis and support young parents that policymakers and local government departments can implement.