Child Care Subsidies
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Child care makes it possible for parents to go to work and support their families. But for many, the price of child care puts safe, high-quality child care out of reach and deeply strains family budgets. Through the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG), the federal government supports states in helping families with the cost of care. Eligible families can participate in their state subsidy program, which helps- if they can find a participating provider and if the amount is enough for the going rate of child care in the area.
ECEC, along with the entire child care provider community, is concerned about the current subsidy system. Subsidy rates in many states are far below the cost of providing child care, making it difficult (and in some cases impossible) for families to access child care and for providers to make business ends meet. ECEC works with partner organizations to raise awareness about these issues and advocates for child care subsidy policies that make sense for child care providers and for families.
Take action to support child care!
ECEC Resources
Resources and Reports
Background
ECEC Resources
Child Care Assistance for Working Parents
ECEC Policy Brief
Resources and Reports
Child Care Assistance: A Program that Works
Center for Law and Social Policy, January 2009
Child care is a program that works. Research shows that child care assistance makes a significant difference in the economic health and security of families. It helps families sustain their participation in the workforce, reduce instability in care arrangements that can impact work, and move out of poverty.
State Child Care Assistance Policies 2009
National Women’s Law Center, September 2009
The National Women’s Law Center’s annual analysis of state child care policies notes that most states in 2009 made no changes to their policies, but those that did moved backward instead of forward. The report is based on a survey of state child care administrators in all 50 states and DC of income eligibility, waiting lists, parent copayments, and reimbursement rates. The report includes state-by-state information for 2009 as well as a comparison to policies in place in 2008 and 2001. The survey data was collected in February 2009.
Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation in 2008
Center for Law and Social Policy, November 2009
Based on preliminary data from the Child Care Bureau, this fact sheet provides a snapshot of participation in the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program in 2008. CCDBG served a monthly average of 1.6 million children. While 19 states increased the number of children served, 29 states served fewer children in 2008 than in the previous year. This fact sheet reviews data, including the ages of children receiving assistance, the types of child care settings used, and the reasons families receive assistance.
The Vision for Child Care: A National Agenda
ECEC has worked with national and state organizations dedicated to improving the quality of our nation's child care in developing a national agenda for child care. This "Vision" would expand families' access to high-quality learning opportunities for their children and help ensure all children are cared for in child care settings that enhance their readiness for and success in school.
Audio Conference on Opportunities for Communities in the Recovery Act
On February 25, 2009, the Center for Law and Social Policy and the National Women's Law Center sponsored an audio conference discussing the opportunity for states and local communities to serve more low-income working families and to make long-term
investments in quality programs through new investments in child care and early education in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act. Click here to read a transcript of the call!
Background
Child Care Assistance Income Eligibility Thresholds for a Family of Three
National Child Care Information Center
State Market Rate Surveys
National Child Care Information Center
Child Care and Development Block Grant Participation
Center for Law and Social Policy (November 2008)
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