Child care scholarships in the United States help many families pay for daycare or early education. For many, these scholarships are the only way parents can afford to work or heat the coal to go to school. However, these programs are vanishing as emergency funds from the COVID-19 pandemic end. Instead, families are left to bear the brunt of the cost rise on their own, and it’s increasingly difficult for them to do so.
How COVID-19 Helped—But Only for a While
In the pandemic, the government has provided over $39 billion to foster child care providers and families with scholarships. It helped many parents remain employed while their children were in a safe, structured care. However, by September 2023, that money was all used up. It was not renewed by Congress. Today, parents are on long waitlists, often without help, or losing the help they do have. Thousands of Arizona, Texas, and Colorado families are stuck waiting in places. The poor in Idaho find they are the only ones left eligible for assistance under the rules.
Child Care Is Unaffordable
Therefore, it is quite common that many families nowadays pay a lot of money to pay for child care. An infant can cost more than rent in some cases when inside large cities, and care in many large cities actually costs more than $15,600 a year. This becomes nearly impossible to afford for families with more than one child. Others are cutting their work hours or taking on an extra shift. Others are using family, neighbors, or unlicensed caregivers, which can be unsafe.
The Emotional Toll on Families
It’s not just about money. Parents are experiencing stress and are overwhelmed. Not only are they working longer hours, but they are also missing time with their children, and never stop struggling to pay bills. According to many parents, they are too exhausted and feel guilty for being both a good parent and a dependable employee. In fact, some have even abandoned job training or career opportunities because they can’t afford care.
Cuts in Government Support Make Things Worse
Recently, the federal government also cut jobs in the Office of Child Care. These workers ensured that states made sure that they followed safety rules and spent scholarship funds wisely; they kept an eye on it. If you do not have them, the system will no longer be so simple to manage. Experts say that’s not realistic when they suggest some government leaders have suggested that money from tariffs could be used to fund child care.
Real Families Are Struggling
Take Janeth Ibarra, for example. In Arizona, where she works in a daycare center, she gets paid $16.50 an hour. With a discount from her employer, she still has to pay upwards of $1,200 a month to have her two boys cared for. Or Brooklyn Newman of Phoenix, who had to let go of a child care scholarship and now works at night and cares for her sons throughout the day. She wished she could spend quality time with him, but told him to keep going to preschool since she couldn’t.
Why Child Care Matters to Everyone
This is not just a problem for the parents. It affects the whole country. If families can not afford child care, they can not work or grow professionally. Early learning is lost, and the economy declines. Child care should be regarded as a public good and not a luxury. Not investing in it could mean making life worse for families, limiting the potential of future generations.
