Latest news with #ChildCareSubsidyProgram
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Education advocates call on DC leaders to protect youth programs
WASHINGTON () — As concerns continue to build over the , one group in particular could be hit hard by the potential cuts. Teachers are at risk of losing a portion of funding and programs for young people may be hit. This comes after a March Congressional resolution essentially nullified the District's pre-approved FY 2025 budget, reverting it to FY 2024 spending levels. In short, the resolution cut D.C.'s budget by $1.1 billion. Last week, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a wave of significant service adjustments to government services, including hiring freezes, employee furloughs, facility closures and more. Many worry about the consequences Congress's budget cut could have on public safety, education and public works. DC mayor announces significant freezes after Congress's $1.1 billion budget slash On Tuesday, — a coalition of early childhood educators, health professionals, nonprofit advocacy groups and more — entered the Wilson Building to advocate for teachers and students. The group focused its energy toward the Early Childhood Educator Pay Equity Fund and the Child Care Subsidy Program, but their overall goal was to ask for early education programs to be spared from potential cuts. Coalition director Martine Gordon says that these programs are important for the future of D.C's education. 'We really really hope that DC Council … figure out a way to make sure that programs that are funded with local dollars are held as harmless as humanly possible,' said Gordon. 'This local budget, in particular, [and] programs that support families so that they can continue to live and work in the District.' Proposed federal bill would cut DC budget by roughly $1 billion, city officials say According to the director, the council had an emergency meeting Tuesday morning. Gordon, however, is still confident that their message will get across. 'We historically have a very good relationship with the council, and they're continuing to hear our message,' she said. 'I think everyone's a little bit nervous about this current budget season, but they've been very positive and receptive to us.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
07-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
George Library to host resource fair
Apr. 7—GEORGE — The George Library will host a resource fair Monday, where residents of the area can get help with a variety of needs. "The purpose of the event is to bring some much-needed health services to the service desert area that is George," said Librarian Jeana Rushton. "(We'll) make it available on-site so that patrons don't have to travel, or if patrons are unable to travel, they can still have access to those resources." Partners that will be in attendance include the Department of Social and Health Services, Renew and the Washington Department of Licensing. DSHS will have its mobile unit there, Rushton said, where patrons can do almost anything they could do at the office in Moses Lake. "Each DSHS Mobile Office is staffed by specialists who can determine people's eligibility for state and federal medical, cash and food assistance programs," DSHS wrote on its website. "Our team processes new applications, case reviews, changes, EBT card requests and required documents. We also take applications for the Child Care Subsidy Program and forward them to the Department of Children, Youth and Families for processing." The Department of Licensing will be able to issue both the basic license and the enhanced license, register vehicles and take care of other paperwork, Rushton said. "They can do everything that a regular Department of Licensing (office) can do except driving tests," she said. Renew, Grant County's mental health agency, will be there, and so will Boulder, a counseling service specializing in addiction and substance abuse, Rushton said. The Grant County Health District will have representatives as well. Most of the services that will be available are things George residents would have to drive to Ephrata or Moses Lake to do, she said, and not everybody can do that. Rushton said this is the first time such an event has been held in George, but it probably won't be the last. "There are such great community partners in this area that I've actually had to turn a few partners away, and we're going to plan another event for the fall, hopefully," she said. George Resource Fair 11 a.m.-4 p.m. April 7 George Public Library 403 S Washington Way Next to George Elementary 509-785-7043
Yahoo
10-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House committee moves forward bill expanding child care subsidies for industry employees
An Oklahoma lawmaker is making a renewed attempt to provide child care workers in Oklahoma with the opportunity to have care for their own children covered. Child care worker Kayla Champagne watches her son, Jaxson, 3, climb at the Little Learners Academy in Smithfield, R.I. (Photo by Elaine S. Povich/Stateline) OKLAHOMA CITY — Lawmakers pushed forward with an initiative that would give more child care workers the opportunity to have care for their own children covered in an effort to address the shortage of qualified employees in the profession. House Bill 1849, authored by Rep. Suzanne Schreiber, D-Tulsa, would allow child care providers at licensed facilities to exempt their household's income from consideration when applying for the Child Care Subsidy Program as an attempt to incentivize new industry workers and retain current employees. A House budget subcommittee on human services unanimously passed the bill with a bipartisan vote. It can now be heard by the general House Appropriations and Budget Committee. Schreiber said she authored a similar bill during the 2024 session, but the previous version was 'too blunt' and this year her bill is more 'detailed and advanced.' She said she plans to add an income cap to the bill to limit the financial impact on the state and ensure the families who need subsidized child care are able to receive it. 'Let's say someone had $150,000 household income or something like that, so we'll have to exempt them, but we're still having all those conversations,' Schreiber said. 'The state of Oklahoma invests a total of $20 million of taxpayer dollars in our child care system. We serve over 65% of our kids in a licensed child care system. So we invest very, very little. This is actually a very small dollar amount for a huge return.' House fiscal staff estimated the bill's financial impact will be between $10 million and $21 million, although Schreiber expects this number to drop once income caps are included. The $21 million number includes workers who currently qualify for subsidies, so House fiscal staff said the impact will be lower. The Oklahoma Department of Human Services currently bases eligibility for the program on the federal income eligibility threshold per family size. This threshold cannot exceed 85% of the state median income per family size, which the U.S. Census estimates was $63,603 in 2023. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimated in 2023 that the average child care worker in Oklahoma made about $12.51 per hour, or $26,010 annually. Arkansas made changes to its own child care subsidy program in 2024 to include child care providers whose households meet the same income requirements and work a minimum of 10 hours per week at a licensed child care facility. Tina Feltman, the director of a Durant child care facility, said this bill is one that providers wanted Schreiber to run again after people pushed back because of its cost last year. For Feltman, this legislation would help her retain current employees and incentivize others to work in the industry. With child care workers in Oklahoma being paid low hourly wages, she said she struggles to compete with other businesses for employees, but sees the offer for subsidized child care as a perk to advertise. 'I'm not complaining about wanting more money,' she said. 'But do you know how much Starbucks pays? I mean, yeah, you might have some high maintenance clients come in, but you're not trying to potty train eight two-year-olds. And you're not in a classroom with six toddlers and three of them are going through a biting phase.' Feltman said she has attempted to provide cheaper child care for her staff at the facility she runs, but in turn she loses out on revenue. 'I was trying not to charge them because I wasn't able to pay them a huge amount,' she said. 'So they would have really been like, 'It's not really worth me working if I've got to turn around and pay the child care bill.' So it was a perk to them.' Feltman hopes Schreiber's bill can help to offset the difference in wages between her and other employers by providing a way for industry workers to offload the cost of child care for themselves. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
CBC
31-01-2025
- Business
- CBC
Families reeling after Alberta ends child-care subsidy
Some Alberta parents were caught off guard by changes announced Thursday that will raise their daycare bills by hundreds of dollars a month starting April 1. "It's shocking," said Robyn Sloboda, a Grande Prairie resident with two children in daycare. "We're really hoping we can make ends meet." Jobs, Economy, and Trade Minister Matt Jones announced Thursday that every Alberta parent with a child in full-time daycare will pay a flat rate of $326.25 a month. The amount works out to about $15 a day, regardless of where a family lives in the province. Child-care providers will see an increase in the subsidies they get from the government. While Jones touted the flat fee as a measure to ensure affordability and predictability, he put less emphasis on the end of the Child Care Subsidy Program on March 31 for infants to children of kindergarten age. The ministry's annual report for the 2023-24 fiscal year said 68,900 children in that age range received some level of subsidy. Later Thursday, Jones told child-care providers during an online town hall he believed everyone should pay their fair share. "We believe everybody should be contributing to the cost of childcare, keeping in mind that the average Albertan will be receiving a valuable service that is at 80 per cent discount to out-of-pocket fees," Jones said during the town hall. "I think there will be more predictable and transparent parent fees coming in to providers on a monthly basis." Jones said he is concerned that child-care fees can vary wildly even within the same geographic area, and he wanted that to change. Financial sacrifices The news came as a shock to many parents — particularly for those with more than one child in daycare — who are now facing a large blow to their monthly budgets in two months. Renee Brochu and her husband have two children, ages two and one, in daycare. She said the child-care subsidy for both kids brought their daycare bill to $176 a month. Brochu said the change has caused a lot of fear and uncertainty for the Edmonton couple. She just returned to work after maternity leave last month. "Now we have to find an extra almost $500 a month come April in order to send our kids to daycare full-time," Brochu said. "It'll be difficult. It'll be tight making a whole bunch of changes and sacrifices ... just to afford child care now." Brochu said she will try to pick up some extra shifts to make ends meet. Robyn Sloboda's two boys are 20 months and four years old. The family pays $48 a month for both children to attend a registered daycare, and another $75 monthly fee for lunches and snacks. Sloboda learned about the funding change via an email from the director of her children's daycare. She said her family could have prepared better for the increased costs if there had been more notice that the subsidy would be ending. She said she already tries to cut costs by buying second-hand clothes for the family and choosing less expensive food at the grocery store. She worries her family may not be able to easily absorb unexpected costs — this month brought a $550 veterinary bill — or pay down debt as fast as they hoped. "We need to work. We need to provide for our families," Sloboda told CBC. "This extra cost is shocking. And we're really hoping we can make ends meet." Alberta needs to create up to 68,700 new childcare spaces, with 42,500 allocated to public or non-profit facilities, under the $3.8 billion Canada-Alberta Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care agreement. The agreement is intended to bring child care fees to $10 a day by 2026. Jones said Alberta is increasing its annual contribution from $250 million to $720 million.
