Focusing on Kitchen Table Issues

1. Finding and paying for child care

What families are dealing with:
You can’t work if you don’t have child care — and right now it’s hard to find, hard to afford, or both.

What I’ll work on:

• Keep child care centers open and affordable by supporting providers and their workers,

• Expand access to child care assistance so working parents, grandparents, and kinship caregivers aren’t shut out,

• Make sure child care works for rural families, not just big cities.

Bottom line:
Parents shouldn’t lose a paycheck just to go to work.

2. Covering groceries, rent, and utilities

What families are dealing with:
Paychecks aren’t stretching far enough, and everyday bills keep going up.

What I’ll work on:

• Connect job training to real, local jobs that pay — not empty promises,

• Protect families from sudden spikes in utility and housing costs,

• Support policies that help wages keep up with the cost of living,

Bottom line:
If you work full-time, the basics should be covered.

3. Getting care when someone is sick

What families are dealing with:
Getting sick shouldn’t mean hours on the road or putting off care because it’s too expensive.

What I’ll work on:

• Protect rural hospitals and clinics so care stays close to home,

• Expand access to primary care, mental health care, and tele-health,

• Focus on preventive care so small problems don’t turn into emergencies.

Bottom line:
No family should have to travel long distances to receive health care.

4. Building a prosperous future for our kids.

What families are dealing with:
Too many kids feel like leaving is their only option.

What I’ll work on:

• Invest in public schools, career and technical education, and apprenticeships tied to West Virginia jobs,

• Partner with local employers to create clear paths from school to work,

• Support community development so young people can stay — or come home

Bottom line:
Kids should have opportunities here so they can choose to stay.