Despite an increase in state funding compared with last year, advocates for child care say an estimated 2,000 families could lose access to child care due to a lack of funding. The state had been relying on COVID-19 era federal funding to fund a expensive change in how daycares are paid out for subsidized spots.
Friday, Democrats proposed six amendments to the budget, none of which stuck. One of those amendments, introduced by Del. Kayla Young, D-Kanawha, would increase funding for child care in the state by around $32 million.
“If we do not do this right now, 2,000 families will lose their child care on July 1. So I hope you support it,” Young said.
Del. Clay Riley, R-Clay, and the vice chair of the Finance Committee, urged rejection. He said the House version of the bill increased child care when compared with the governor’s budget, and last year’s budget. Young said that’s still not enough.
The amendment failed.
Young said she hopes that child care gets additional funding , if not through the budget then at least through supplemental appropriations. Supplemental bills only give one time funding to programs.
“Any additional money for child care would be great,” Young said. “But if we can’t rely on it, and a supplemental is going to be one time money, versus just saying this is going to be in the budget from here on out. Of course, we change it every year, but you put your priorities in the front of the budget, and child care stays about the same,”
There are multiple factors driving up the costs of child care. Last year the federal government mandated a permanent switch from attendance-based pay to enrollment-based pay. The state paid for the switch using one time federal dollars.
“Well, those funds have all expired, so we’ve been pulling money from other sources to pay for it for the past few years so more folks get access to child care,” Young said.
Then the state started using money from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program.
Sean O’Leary, senior policy analyst with the West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy said the state should invest in child care in the state.
“We want high quality child care for every child in the state. We want every parent who wants to work able to work because they are not held back because of childcare. So it’s important that the state funds that,” O’Leary said.
He said the state has the extra money to do it, too.
“With the House Budget, they’re leaving $60 million on the table to have a surplus when that money could be used to support child care,” O’Leary said.