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Help is coming for essential workers who are dealing with child care issues.
Gov. Gavin Newsom has signed an executive order that allows the departments of Education and Social Services to approve child care and after-school programs for children of health care professionals, emergency responders, law enforcement and grocery workers.
State-funded child care is normally reserved for low-income families. The governor's order makes the money available for those deemed to be essential workers while the state fights the spread of the novel coronavirus with stay-at-home and closure orders for everyone else.
The order also allows care providers to take advantage of new provisions of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program to make sure kids get nutritious meals at little or no cost.
The agencies have until April 7 to get the programs going.
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