Anne Roder
September 2006

While child care is one of the fastest growing occupations in the country, most employment in this field is precarious and low-wage. Investing in Low-Wage Workers profiles the Day Care Justice Co-op, a group of largely Latina and African American women living and working in some of Rhode Island’s poorest communities. Determined to improve family child care, the group sought better wages and benefits for family child care workers across the state and developed important resources for its members. During the study period, P/PV found a dramatic reduction in poverty among Co-op members — from 44 to 15 percent. The Co-op was supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation’s Sectoral Employment Initiative. Launched in 1998, the Initiative attempted to improve opportunities in selected workplace sectors for low-wage workers to achieve financial security.

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