15-05-2025
Opinion: Congressional funding for child care is crucial to supporting Utah families
Last week, I traveled from southern Utah to Washington, D.C., to speak with congressional staff about the urgent need to fund the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program, our nation's main child care investment.
As a home-based child care provider, CCDBG funds typically provide for 50-75% of my program funding. I'm in a rural area and the wages in my area are very low. As much as childcare providers love the work they do, it is work, and they still have to make a living and run their businesses. The block grant money has been foundational in providing scholarships and quality improvement funds for children at the highest risk.
Before I opened my program, I spent almost 10 years working with children who had been victims of abuse and neglect in Utah. I saw up close the repeated cycles that come with poverty and a lack of support. As a child care provider I have also seen the good that comes when we interrupt generational patterns and choose to support families, which is why I'm asking Rep. Celeste Maloy to sign Rep. Burgess Owens' appropriations letter asking for robust funding for CCDBG.
The cost of child care can be debilitating for families. I felt that as a young mom and social worker trying to figure out how to make it all work for my own family. And in the 17 years since I opened my own child care program, I've seen how hard it is for every family. But I also know how expensive it is to run a quality program and how hard it is to make the numbers work in a very broken system. This past year, for the first time in my program history, I had to raise my rates above the subsidy rate. I was conflicted about this for a long time, as I'm aware it has probably limited the number of low-income families that can choose my program. Those children especially need access to high-quality care, and their parents benefit greatly from the support they receive from a good program. But I also have my own responsibilities, and with rising costs, I did not have a choice.
CCDBG funding will help and is a vital part of the solution moving forward. As I told congressional staff, CCDBG can help me as a small-business owner keep my door open while promoting parent choice and ensuring more parents can find and afford the care they need.
Rep. Maloy has until May 16th to sign onto this important letter, which would make a world of difference for families, children and providers like me.
