US EditionAbout 16,000 families waiting for child care vouchers after pandemic funds run out
Mississippi's child care voucher funding ended, leaving 16,000 families waiting and forcing providers to cut staff, reduce hours, or close, officials said.
- This year, the Mississippi Department of Human Services reported over 16,000 Mississippi families are on a waitlist for child care vouchers, reflecting widespread strain on providers and parents.
- Pandemic-era federal funding ended, creating a gap as the Mississippi Department of Human Services resumed eligibility redeterminations and advocates urged using unspent welfare money despite TANF restrictions.
- Cantrell Keyes, director of Agape Christian Academy World, is working 90-hour weeks and losing $15,000 a month as nearly half of 46 families lost vouchers, causing ten to leave and staff cuts.
- Lawmakers appropriated $15 million for child care vouchers, less than half of what Mississippi Department of Human Services requested, while MDHS did not seek more funding at a September hearing.
- A Century Foundation study estimates pandemic child care funding loss will cost states $10.6 billion, and Mississippi Department of Human Services opened TANF proposals including child care.
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16,000 families waitlisted for child care vouchers - Mississippi Today
Parents are losing their jobs, children are suffering inconsistent care, child care workers are being laid off and providers are going without pay or shuttering their facilities, according to advocates and industry leaders who spoke with Mississippi Today.
About 16,000 families waiting for child care vouchers after pandemic funds run out - WXXV News 25
By SOPHIA PAFFENROTH/Mississippi Today Cantrell Keyes is working 90-hour weeks and losing $15,000 a month at the child care center she directs in Jackson, Mississippi. Nearly half of the 46 families attending Agape Christian Academy World last spring lost access to Child Care Payment Program vouchers, which are essentially coupons that make child care affordable, Keyes said. Ten families left the facility as a result, and another 10 of the rem…
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