Care4Kids subsidy can make a difference

Childcare can sometimes cost as much as college tuition. In Connecticut, the average cost was $19,521 in 2016.

Child care can sometimes cost just as much as in-state college tuition. In Connecticut, the average cost of childcare was determined to be $19,521 in 2016.

For working parents, this cost can easily be the single largest expense in a family budget. For something so essential, it is so difficult for low- to middleincome families to afford. Connecticut’s Care4Kids child care subsidy has made it possible for Connecticut residents to maintain work and afford child care.

This past year, however, Care4Kids was affected by drastic changes in federal government policy requirements. These changes were made to ensure continuity of care for children in Care4kids, and raise the quality of the program, but additional funding was not provided to cover the cost of the new requirements.

There was a shortfall of more than $30 million created by the changes, an increase in caseload numbers, and longer periods of enrollment for each family in the program.

Connecticut first announced they would change eligibility from 50 percent of state median income to 30 percent of state median income to absorb the cost of the new federal changes. Additional eligibility changes were made effective on December 31, stating the program will no longer accept applications from individuals who have received benefits from Temporary Assistance for Needy Families within the last five years, and 18- to 19-year-old parents who attend high school or an equivalent program will no longer be eligible.

Due to the policy requirements, eligibility changes, and financial deficit, Care 4 Kids is no longer able to serve as many individuals as it has in the past. Although the program is still receiving applications, no new enrollment subsidies will be awarded to working families.

Income eligible families are being put on a waiting list that currently has over 2500 children waiting for assistance in their care. Also, due to these changes, over 6,000 children have already lost their subsidy.

These changes are not only impactful to the lives of the parents and children who are no longer eligible to receive the benefits from the program, but it affects the small businesses in our community. Day care centers that were once able to make ends meet by accepting families that received subsidies will now have to make up the loss of losing enrollees who can no longer afford services.

There has already been a decline in families enrolling in such day care centers since the change went into effect only a little over two months ago. These reductions in enrollment may ultimately lead to day care centers closing their doors.

Care4Kids is a vital program that enables lower income families the opportunity to seek out and maintain employment, but now our community members may not have the opportunity to do so. Parents may have to leave their jobs because they can no longer afford child care, which will surely have a ripple effect in our community.

If you are an individual who has been affected by these changes, Connecticut’s Office of Early Childhood encourages families to call 2-1-1 Child Care weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. as other child care programs may be available.

To find out more information about the Care 4 Kids program, please visit www.ctcare4kids.com.

In our current economic environment, our legislators will continue to be faced with these important, but tough decisions. We urge you to reach out to them and voice your concerns and share your stories.

To look up your legislators by town, please visit www.cga.ct.gov.