Nina is an Early Childhood National Campaign Director and Florida Director at MomsRising/MamásConPoder where she has been organizing moms and families across the nation for over a decade on family economic security issues. Nina has been interviewed in numerous local and national news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, the New York Times, and The Guardian. On child care policy, Nina has testified in front of Congress for the Ways and Means Committee as an expert in her field. Nina's career has focused on ending the oppression and exploitation of women and girls. She was previously a Program Manager at Community Family Life Services supporting direct services and leadership with low-income communities in Washington, DC. Nina was also a founding member and Program Coordinator for the Young Women Leaders Program at the University of Central Florida. and lives in Jax, FL with her loving partner, inquisitive child, spunky cats, and books.
Blog Post List
July 6, 2021
The House and Senate must provide real child care solutions - parents, families, providers and our broader economy can’t wait any longer. Want to know what you can do? Check out this webinar happening tomorrow, Wednesday, July 7 from 2-3:30 ET.
MomsRising
Education Fund
May 27, 2021
I had the honor of speaking in front of the Ways and Means Worker and Family Support Ways and Means Subcommittee on behalf of MomsRising families to talk about why child care is so important to our communities. Below, you'll find my statement.
MomsRising
Together
September 1, 2020
“Tratar de encontrar cuidado infantil durante la pandemia es casi imposible. Soy responsable de un bebé de 20 meses y en estos momentos tengo que llevarlo de una casa a otra para para que lo cuiden. Esto no es seguro para él o para mí. Soy una de esas personas de alto riesgo, pero tengo que hacerlo porque mi guardería regular está cerrada y me temo que no abrirá en un futuro cercano.” En todo el país, mamás como Yvonne están compartiendo lo difícil que es encontrar cuidado infantil mientras tratan de sobrellevar el profundo impacto que está teniendo el COVID-19. En momentos de crisis debemos...
MomsRising
Together
August 11, 2020
Kansas mom, Kaylee, just about summed up the crisis families are facing with child care with MomsRising: “It sucks. I'm afraid to send them to a grandparent, but also afraid to send them to a [formal child care] situation where we don't know the risks of them bringing home COVID to those same grandparents.” This is the reality for so many of us with infants and toddlers right now, including myself. My one and a half year old is this amazing, cheerful ball of energy that, quite frankly, is impossible to multitask with (even on calls) without my feeling like I’m putting her in danger with my...
MomsRising
Education Fund
August 6, 2020
First, the good news: Thanks to YOU and thousands of moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers, and people who support child care, the U.S. House of Representatives just passed ( in a historic vote! ) the Child Care Is Essential Act and the Child Care for Economic Recovery Act! These would ensure a $50 billion stabilization fund for the child care sector at a time when programs around the country are closing and the inability to access child care has become a national emergency. (Back in March, the crisis with child care was barely being discussed, but thanks to people like you speaking out, the...
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Together
June 23, 2020
“My childcare center closed its doors and I’m heartbroken. Our childcare provider has been part of our life for 7 years. We don’t know what we are going to do. Finding a new childcare provider is no easy feat. The price has to work, the location, the hours...there are too many unknowns now, and I think, unfortunately, that the best thing to do for our family is to scale work back until we can figure out if it is safe to send our children to childcare during the pandemic.” We are hearing from moms like Diana daily about the struggle with childcare right now. Whether it’s juggling work and...
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Take Action!
May 7, 2020
I’m on day… well who even knows anymore of working from home with my toddler and, like so many of you, my partner and I are wondering when juggling our child care and work will come to an end. But one thing is for sure, we want it to happen safely. We sat watching the news yesterday in horror as states are reopening even as numbers of those infected are rising, and even though there’s insufficient testing in most of our nation to ensure we don’t see further spread. As a mother, daughter, and someone who loves my community, this is SCARY. And there is one piece that really baffles me in these...
MomsRising
Together
May 4, 2020
Cada mañana, durante estas últimas dos semanas, me despierto preguntándome cómo afectará la crisis de COVID-19 la vida de mi pequeña y a todo el país. Mi pareja y yo tratamos de programar nuestro horario de trabajo lo mejor posible (¡como muchos padres y proveedores de cuidados!) para darle una sensación de normalidad. Pero, hoy más que nunca, me siento muy agradecida por el amoroso cuidado que mi hija usualmente recibe mientras estoy en el trabajo. Por eso me duele decirles que, como nación, estamos a punto de perder más de la mitad (sí leyeron bien – MÁS DE LA MITAD) de nuestros programas...
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Together
April 7, 2020
Every morning for the last two weeks I’ve woken up wondering what impact this COVID-19 crisis will have on my toddler’s life along with our entire country. My partner and I are juggling our work schedules (like so many parents and caregivers!) the best we can as we try to give her some semblance of normalcy. But more than ever, I'm grateful for the loving care my child normally receives while we work. That’s why it pains me to tell you that, as a nation, we are on the verge of losing more than half (yes you read that right - MORE THAN HALF) of our child care programs IF there isn’t...
MomsRising
Together
March 23, 2020
As MomsRising's senior campaign director on child care policy, I'm leading our work to push the federal government to cover childcare costs for both providers and parents as part of the emergency relief effort. We know there is a real and present danger that if this goes on for an extended time, we will see the collapse of the child care system. The burden shouldn't fall on either parents or providers! AND- we need both providers and parents to push back on elected leaders right now. Below are some things you can do to help ahead of the negotiations happening TODAY: * Sign here to urge...
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Together
Take Action!
July 17, 2019
There are parents across the nation holding their scared children tight right now, children who are terrified of what tomorrow could bring. It’s not an imaginary “monster under the bed” terrifying these kids; it’s the real life monsters created by the Trump Administration that are coming after immigrant families, including intentionally separating children from their parents. This week immigration enforcement officers, directed by the Trump Administration, are targeting thousands of families in mass raids in as many as 10 cities to increase deportations and continue the cruel intentional...
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Together
June 19, 2019
My daughter will be eight months old this Saturday. From the moment my doctor put her on my chest after 48 hours of labor, I was obsessed. I remember not even wanting to give her over to have tests done and to this day I still cringe when I need to leave her for more than a few hours to work. As a mother, the ability to care for my child is the most important thing in my world. But right now, in Trump’s America, the Trump administration is taking newborns, infants, and children away from their parents. This happened to a mother in Texas who cried for 72 hours straight when her newborn was...
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Take Action!
April 1, 2019
I’ve taken my daughter's diapers for granted. From what kind of diapers to use, to whose turn it is to change the epic blowout (again) -- diapers are a sore spot in our house. But luckily, we’ve never had to worry about our daughter having access to a diaper to keep her clean and healthy. Unfortunately, 1 in 3 American families can’t say the same. And that’s a big problem, because when families can’t afford diapers, it can put a baby’s health at risk. Not to mention that it can make it harder to access childcare too, and that can make it impossible for parents to get to work. Diaper need is a...
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Together
March 8, 2019
As Latinx parents raising multicultural kids we know the challenges too well. Do we speak Spanish at home with our kids? How do we keep our kids from rejecting our cultural traditions (do we even care about these traditions...)? Where do we find books and toys that are representative of our various communities? The list is never ending. But what if I told you access to high-quality, affordable childcare was another challenge that uniquely impacts Latinx parents? Well, it’s true. Right now, 42% of Latinx kids live in childcare deserts - areas with overfull or no childcare centers available...
MomsRising
Together
Childcare & Early Education Family Economic Security Politics & Policy Social & Emotional Development
February 27, 2019
I’m newly back in the office after having my baby and I have one thing on my mind—we HAVE TO solve the childcare crisis in this country. At my neighborhood meetup for new parents not a week goes by that childcare doesn’t come up as a major issue for families. Moms with no choice but to quit jobs they love because of the high-cost of care. Waiting lists so long that families are depleting their life's savings to take unpaid time off work on the off chance a childcare spot opens up. It’s never ending. One parent is even flying in different family members from across the country in shifts to...
MomsRising
Together
February 18, 2019
Acabo de volver al trabajo después de tener a mi bebita, y al igual que muchos padres latinx, ¡tengo muchas preguntas! ¿Debo hablarle español a mi hija en casa? ¿Cómo evito que mi hija rechace nuestras tradiciones culturales? ¿Dónde puedo encontrar acceso a cuidado infantil de alta calidad económicamente accesible? Me preocupa mucho la crisis de cuidado infantil en este país. De acuerdo con un estudio publicado el año pasado, las familias latinas gastan el porcentaje más alto de su salario en cuidado infantil en comparación con los demás grupos étnicos –casi el doble del costo máximo...
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Quick Action!
October 19, 2018
"I receive childcare assistance through my local DHS office. If I didn’t get this assistance I could not work (even though I live paycheck to paycheck) and would have to apply for Welfare. I’m more than grateful for every penny I receive for childcare. Without it I would have to pay $120 a week! My daughter is learning so much from the program that is offered: she knows how to count, read (some small sentences,) knows her alphabet, and she knows how to draw. She is four years old." – Amanda Investments in affordable, quality childcare can be THE difference in a family’s ability to thrive...
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Sign on!
September 12, 2018
So here’s a head scratcher for you: Just days before DC Mayor Muriel Bowser holds a Maternal and Infant Health Summit, she released a statement encouraging the DC Council to shift funding from the District’s Universal Paid Leave Amendment Act of 2016 to the comprehensive Birth-to-Three for All DC Act of 2018 . Uhhhh…...I'm confused. As a pregnant soon-to-be mom myself, I’m struggling to understand how Mayor Bowser can champion maternal and infant health while ...at the same time!... urging the Council to divert funding from one critical family and infant support to another. It’s like robbing...
MomsRising
Together
August 30, 2018
It’s been twenty years since the release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and at thirty-two I’m ecstatic that J.K Rowling's amazing magical world is still alive and well for our kids with the re-release of all Harry Potter movies this Friday on August 31st (time to pull out my Gryffindor scarf!) and the new Fantastic Beasts movie being released this November . I grew up reading these amazing books and twenty years later I still find myself wishing I lived in the Wizarding World, but now as soon to be mom, it’s less about charms and battling dragons and a lot more about wanting to...
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Together
Sign the thank you card!
August 1, 2018
Thanks to community advocates, educators, and DC families (like YOU!) who submitted their childcare stories, decorated bibs with messages to Councilmembers, sent emails to the Council, and testified in front of the DC Committee on Education – the Birth-to-Three for All DC Act (which incorporates pieces of the BEGIn Act) was passed unanimously by DC Council!!! Celebrate with us by keeping up the momentum for early childhood in DC! As parents, we know positive reinforcement can go a long way! Click here to sign our thank you card and urge the DC Council to continue to remain strong on early...
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Together