SECTION 1.
The Legislature finds and declares all of the following:(a) Diapers are essential for the health and well-being of babies and toddlers, yet one in three families in the United States struggles to afford diapers.
(b) A lack of diapers is not only a public health issue, but also an obstacle to economic mobility for low-income families.
(c) Diapers alone can cost approximately one hundred dollars ($100) or more per month per child, or approximately 4 percent or more of a person’s total income if they are making California minimum wage, with low-income families disproportionately experiencing the burden.
(d) Parents and caregivers who rely on childcare services and who do not have enough diapers often cannot drop their children off at childcare, leading to missed days at work and school, missed early education opportunities for toddlers, and an increased likelihood of painful rashes and infections.
(e) The benefit programs CalFresh and the California Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC Program) do not provide diaper aid.
(f) In April 2018, the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids (CalWORKs) program began providing diaper aid as a supportive service, to a person participating in a welfare-to-work plan, in the amount of thirty dollars ($30) per month for each child of a certain age range.
(g) Diapers are the fourth greatest cost burden for many families.
(h) Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the need for diaper assistance has grown dramatically and persisted at record levels.
(i) Expanding the geographic reach of the state’s diaper distribution efforts will address diaper need in California, especially for vulnerable families, while leveraging and strengthening existing safety net investments.