The primary time I talked to Amy Lee Funes, our dialog left me surprised.
Regardless of the truth that she earned solely $35,000 a 12 months and lived in some of the costly cities on the planet, Funes made an excessive amount of to qualify for public help paying for baby care. Her solely choice was to take a pay lower, a metropolis official advised her in late 2019. Funes, who had not too long ago moved far-off from her mom (a free supply of kid care) to flee an abusive relationship, desperately wanted baby care. She felt she had no alternative however to stop her job to get that voucher.
I had reported on baby care subsidies earlier than, however hadn’t realized the magnitude to which state eligibility insurance policies — together with, in some states, earnings standards that flew within the face of federal suggestions — had been trapping households like Funes’ in poverty. As I reported extra on Funes’ expertise and these insurance policies, I realized her state of affairs is surprisingly widespread. Throughout the nation, mother and father typically stop jobs or flip down raises to qualify for baby care help, a actuality that has immense penalties on youngsters and households.
“Should you’re teetering on that line, then typically a greenback an hour elevate can then prohibit you from getting $1,000 a month in baby care,” mentioned Crystal Henry, who manages a toddler care initiative in Kansas.
You’ll be able to learn the total story, which printed in partnership with The nineteenth, by clicking under.
Extra on baby care subsidies
In 2020, my former colleague Lillian Mongeau Hughes wrote about how baby care applications funded largely via subsidies wrestle with staffing and high quality as a result of the subsidy quantities are so small.
This story by Susan Shain for Excessive Nation Information appears to be like at how New Mexico managed to make baby care free for many households within the state by permitting households with increased incomes to qualify.
Analysis fast take
Entry to high-quality pre-Okay is turning into an more and more widespread coverage throughout the nation’s largest cities, in accordance with a not too long ago launched report by CityHealth. In 2024, accessible, high-quality pre-Okay was one of many prime two coverage options permitted by voters, state authorities or metropolis officers within the nation’s 75 largest cities, the report discovered. CityHealth is partnering with the Nationwide Institute for Early Training Analysis to trace this progress right here.
Extra early childhood information
“The Miracle of Common Pre-Okay,” New York Journal
“California district-college partnerships sort out instructor scarcity for transitional kindergarten,” Okay-12 Dive
“Washington wants extra early childhood educators. However the pay is an issue,” The Seattle Instances
This story about baby care help was produced by The Hechinger Report, a nonprofit, unbiased information group targeted on inequality and innovation in schooling. Join the Hechinger publication.
