Wait List For CT Child Care Subsidies Grows

Thousands of low-income families hoping to receive child care subsidies are stuck in limbo as a wait list for the program swells. About 3,400 families are now on the wait list to receive Care4Kids subsidies. That number could grow to 5,000 families by this summer, say advocates who expect 2,200 more families seeking summer-only subsidies to be turned away as well.

The program’s current challenges emerged largely because of new federal regulations put in place last year, after Congress approved changes to the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act two years earlier. These regulations required Care4Kids to increase the program’s enrollment period to one year – up from eight months – while limiting paperwork for parents by reducing a number of stringent eligibility requirements. The reporting requirements often had tight deadlines for submitting information, and resulted in many families being kicked off the program even while they still qualified. Currently, about 12,000 families are enrolled in Care4Kids, receiving child care subsidies that range from $38 to $320 per week. Governor Malloy has called for limiting enrollment until 2019 to curb costs in the program, which is running a $33 million deficit.


Source: CT Mirror, 4/11/17, Care4Kids