Child care programs just lost thousands of federal dollars. Families and providers scramble to cope
After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country lost funding
WILLIAMSON, W.Va. — Kaitlyn Adkins is studying law to help families in her community impacted by the opioid epidemic at the heart of West Virginia coal country.
But to do that, she needs someone to help look after her three toddlers. The first-generation college graduate said she wouldn’t be able to finish law school without access to reliable daycare.
Providers say millions of children and their families are now at risk of losing that vital service. After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country were cut off from funding Saturday. The largest investment in child care in U.S. history, the monthly payments ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars, and stabilized the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It feels like they're just setting everyone up for failure,” Adkins said, dropping her 2-year-old and 1-year-old twins at daycare on a recent morning before an hour-and-a-half drive to class.
For years, providers have been raising alarm about an unsustainable business model that burdens families with high costs and leaves centers with razor-thin profit margins — issues only exacerbated by inflation and a significant workforce shortage.
Now, providers say that without additional investment, they face the possibility of shutdown. The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., analyzed a provider survey and government data, and concluded that in six states — Arkansas, Montana, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C. — up to half of all providers may be forced to close.
Many families and providers are calling on
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