In Focus: Child Care Subsidies
Apr 23, 2013 | Permalink »
Write a Letter Thanking the President for His Historic Early Childhood Investment
Recently, President Obama released his 2014 budget proposal. This budget includes historic investments across several early childhood programs including increased investment in a comprehensive birth-to-five early education continuum built upon child care, home visiting, Head Start, Early Head Start, and preschool - all critical programs for children, especially the most vulnerable children.
With our partners from the Strong Start for Children - Building America's Future campaign, CLASP will be collecting thank you notes from across the country and delivering them to the White House. Please join us in thanking President Obama for making investments in young children a priority!
Mail us your hard copy letters (a drawing or hand print by a child on your letter would be great) to deliver to the White House. We must receive all letters at CLASP by Monday, April 29. Please send your letters and drawings to: Emily Firgens, CLASP, 1200 18th ST NW, Suite 200, Washington DC, 20036. You can also email your letters to efirgens@clasp.org. We are collecting them rather than asking you to send them directly to the White House due to security protocols.
We hope you will join us in thanking President Obama for his early childhood initiative by sending CLASP your letters by May 2!
Thank you, and please contact Emily Firgens at efirgens@clasp.org or 202-906-8031 if you have any questions.
Apr 18, 2013 | Permalink »
Lowest Income Families Remain Burdened by High Child Care Costs
The U.S. Census Bureau has released its most recent edition of Who's Minding the Kids? Child Care Arrangements: Spring 2011. This periodic report uses Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) data from the 2008 panel to examine the characteristics of children and their families in different types of child care arrangements. The analysis found that 61.3 percent of children under age 5 were in a regular child care arrangement in the spring of 2011. Forty-two percent of these arrangements were relative care and 33 percent were non-relative care.
Employed mothers living in poverty were more likely to rely on grandparents and fathers for care of their children than on organized child care facilities, the Census term encompassing center-based child care and preschool programs. Authors indicate that families in poverty are more likely to depend on relatives because of the high costs of child care. In 2011, the average cost of child care for families with an employed mother climbed to $143 a week; this amount has steadily increased from the inflation-adjusted $84 per week families spent in 1985.
Poor working families with children under age 15 continue to pay the largest percentage of their monthly income on child care compared to those living at 200 percent or above of the federal poverty line. Who's Minding the Kids? reports that families living below poverty spent on average 30 percent of their income on child care per month. While this percentage has decreased significantly from 40 percent in 2010, it remains staggeringly high for the poor, especially in comparison with other income groups. Families living between 100 and 199 percent of poverty spent close to 18 percent of their monthly income on child care, and those living at or above 200 percent of poverty spent just under 7 percent.
The report's findings emphasize the need for more affordable child care - particularly for children and families who are living in the most vulnerable situations. Study after study has shown the benefits of early education to better outcomes in children. In addition, child care is a critical work support for parents. The increased funding for early childhood programs outlined in the President's FY 2014 budget signals that the Administration understands this need. The question remains whether Congress will take action to help low-income families better afford and access high-quality child care and early education options.
Apr 11, 2013 | Permalink »
The President’s Budget: Historic for Early Childhood
Yesterday, the President released his Fiscal Year (FY) 2014 Budget. For young children and the child care and early education community that supports them, the budget comes as a much anticipated follow-up to the President's State of the Union address where he outlined early learning as a priority. This budget includes historic investments across several early childhood programs.
The President's budget includes increased investment in a comprehensive birth-to-five early education continuum including child care, home visiting, Head Start, Early Head Start, and preschool-all critical programs for children, especially the most vulnerable children.
Through companion investments in the Department of Education and the Department of Health and Human Services, the President's proposal introduces new details to what the White House is calling its Preschool for All initiative. These investments include:
- Preschool -$75 billion in mandatory funding across 10 years to support state preschool programs. $1.3 billion of the $75 billion would be allocated in FY 2014. Additionally, $750 million in discretionary funding would be available in FY 2014 as development grants to states to create or strengthen their early education systems in preparation for the Preschool for All initiative.
- Home Visiting- $15 billion over 10 years to expand home visiting programs. Home visiting programs provide family support and connect children and their parents to resources during a critical development period for young children.
- Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships- $1.4 billion to support Early Head Start-Child Care Partnerships. These will provide increased access to comprehensive, high quality child care for infants and toddlers.