State by State Use of CARES Act Supplemental CCDBG Funds

The Brief

The CARES Act provided states with supplemental funding for child care, through the Child Care and Development Block grant, to help address needs of working families and providers through COVID-19. States were given broad flexibility for how to use this funding and have therefore taken a variety of approaches. This blog summarizes how the majority of states are using, or plan to use, their supplemental CCDBG funds through the coronavirus.

View the updated state map here.

This map was last updated on June 11.

Alaska

Alaska received $6.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funding in the CARES Act. The Alaska Child Care Program Office used CARES Act funding to offer capacity-building payments for March, April, and May, to child care providers who are closed due to COVID-19. Due to high demand for payments, Alaska also utilized an additional $2.6 million from the Coronavirus Relief Funds for the program. The payment amounts are based on February enrollment of both private-pay and subsidy recipient families and are available to all providers, regardless of their participation in the state’s subsidy program. The goal of the grant program is to support a program’s ability to retain staff, purchase necessary supplies, alter operations to accommodate essential staff, pay utilities and rent, and other necessary costs to remain operational or be able to reopen.

The state anticipates this program to last through June 2020 unless other funds become available. Alaska estimates that a total of $10 million is needed each month to cover all payments, which is significantly higher than the $6.4 million allocation from the CARES Act.

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Massachusetts

Massachusetts received $45.7 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state has temporarily closed all non-emergency child care programs through June 29. Programs authorized to operate as emergency child care programs are the only programs allowed to remain open, under the intent to provide services for vulnerable children and children of working parents who have been identified as essential. It is estimated that around 500 of the over 8,000 providers have remained open through the Exempt Emergency Child Care Program allowance.

A survey of parents in Massachusetts found that about half believe they will not be able to return to work without a consistent child care program to rely on. Further, nearly 90% said they will hesitate to send their children to a formal arrangement due to health concerns and a striking 30% of parents said they will not return to their previous care arrangement even if they are able to.

Programs remaining open are able to receive small, flat rate grants to help defray the cost of operations. Specifically, centers can receive $2,500 per classroom, per week, for up to 2 classrooms and a maximum of $5,000 per center each week. Home-based providers can receive $1,000 each week for up to 8 children. The state anticipates this funding will be available through the end of June.

Funding for emergency child care programs is not designed to cover the entire cost of operating but rather to ease the fiscal burden on programs that have stepped forward to provide assistance to families during the crisis. The state is also continuing to pay all subsidies and parent copayments to providers who are closed, for the duration of the public health emergency. The state is also prioritizing testing for COVID-19 among child care workers.

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California

California received $350 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. California has encouraged all programs that can safely remain open to do so in order to serve essential workers with children. To track availability of care and match parents with an open program, the state created a new website, mychildcare.ca.gov, where parents can find information on licensed child care providers that are currently open including location, health and safety details, ages of children served, capacity, and hours of care.

In a survey of over 2,000 providers in California, 60% said they would not make it through June without interventions. To support child care providers, California has issued $50 million of CARES funds toward cleaning and supplies to help providers stay open and reopen while meeting public health and safety guidelines. Additionally, the state has allocated $50 million in CARES dollars to serve children of essential workers and at-risk populations. With CCDBG flexibility, California has recalibrated its Quality Counts program to meet the needs of providers during COVID-19 by shifting professional development online and providing stipends to participants who remain open.

Child care providers will continue receiving full subsidies for all enrolled children, including any copayment or fees usually paid by parents. From April through June, programs are prohibited from imposing or collecting family fees or copayments. Providers must also continue serving families if they have outstanding fees or payments through the crisis. The state will continue paying providers who have temporarily closed, based on enrollment. During an emergency closure, those programs that continue receiving funds by the state must continue to pay staff wages and benefits, and failure to do so will result in a reduced payment by the state. The state’s family voucher system will continue to pay providers for 30 days if they close, and the voucher will carry on to a new provider once a family finds another child care option. California also provides online child care support via Early Childhood Online, which has seen 10,000 new users since March.

To directly support child care for essential workers, California has established an Emergency Childcare program through the state’s existing subsidy system, available through the end of June. Households are eligible if all available caregivers are deemed essential, if the family requires child care to work, if the family cannot work remotely, and if the family has assets of less than $1 million. All other eligibility requirements will be waived through June. However, programs may prioritize income-eligible families over those who are not income eligible, and existing priorities for abused and neglected children will not be impacted. Additionally, the regular 12-month eligibility determination will not apply to families receiving Emergency Childcare.

Due to the emergency pandemic situation, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has proposed to eliminate all planned Early Learning and Care investments and cut provider reimbursement rates by 10%. In a May 28 webinar, Sarah Neville-Morgan, deputy superintendent for the Teaching and Learning Support Branch at the Department of Education in California, stated, “We all desperately needed those CARES funds and we needed that CCDBG flexibility… it helped us stabilize that field in at least that moment.” At the same time, the state needs additional “measures and funding that will help sustain the long-term [child care market] and kick-start the economy,” Neville-Morgan said. Looking ahead, she believes, “we don’t want to just rebuild,” but instead, is considering, “how do we build back something stronger?”

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Pennsylvania

As of June 24, 65 of the state’s 7,000 licensed child care providers had permanently closed. Preliminary findings from the Penn State study indicate that distributing child care funds in July will be vital to sustaining the industry in coming months. On July 6, the state announced that the Office of Child Development and Early Learning will distribute $53 million of its remaining supplemental CCDBG funds from the CARES Act during the month of July. Additionally, the state now offers $50 million in Hazard Pay grants to help employers continue to pay workers in vital industries including child care. From August 16 through October 24, businesses may use awards to pay essential employees who earn less than $20 per hour. Businesses may apply from July 16 through July 31, and may receive up to $1,200 per eligible employee.

Virginia

Virginia received $70.8 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Virginia obligated all of its CARES Act funding. First, the state provides incentive grants to child care providers that are open, available through the end of June. Licensed home- and center-based providers, and unlicensed providers that are approved subsidy vendors, are eligible to receive an amount each week equal to $25 multiplied by half the provider’s licensed capacity. Because this grant calculates funding based on capacity, Virginia intends to use it to support providers through periods of low-attendance. The state also covers co-payments through June for low-income, working families who receive federal child care subsidy dollars. Additionally, the state provides funding for child care providers that participate in the federal subsidy program, but have had to close. This will help ensure they are ready to welcome children back as soon as this crisis has passed.

On June 5, most of the state will enter Phase II of the reopening plan and child care providers will be permitted to reopen with group sizes limited to 12 (including staff) if they serve children under 4 years of age.

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Wyoming

Wyoming received $4.1 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and as of May 1, had committed $3.6 million. Additionally, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services identified $2.5 million from other funding sources to support child care throughout the state. The state has identified child care as a “critical part of the infrastructure of Wyoming, allowing essential systems to function” and therefore, beginning May 1, child care providers may reopen under alternate health and safety recommendations, such as smaller group sizes and screening procedures.

Programs that are open must prioritize child care for children of essential personnel and register as an Emergency Child Care Facility. The state has created a portal for essential parents who need child care, with all providers serving essential personnel with capacity updated daily. Wyoming also created a website for providers to find substitute workers.

Before instituting a plan for CARES Act funding, Wyoming conducted a survey of over 200 child care programs and other organizations serving youth throughout the state to understand the needs of those businesses and organizations. Two-thirds of respondents reported they were unable to access funding under the CARES Act for other business supports, outside of CCDBG. When asked what supports or resources were needed to keep programs in business and allow them to reopen when the time comes, nearly half said they would need funding for tuition replacement and 45% said they would need program stabilization funding for their business to meet basic costs.

Wyoming will use CARES Act funds to offer a one-time stipend for all licensed providers to support operations and for continuing subsidy payments to providers for all enrolled children. The state legislature is meeting in May to approve additional allocations and determine additional policies to support children, families, and providers.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin received $51.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state has used their CARES Act funding to implement a COVID-19 Emergency Payment Program, “Child Care Counts,” to support child care providers in weathering this crisis. The state estimates that, due to declined enrollment and safety concerns, 40% of providers temporarily closed. As such, several funding opportunities exist.

First, the state will support providers through grants allowing them to cover costs associated with paying staff, reimbursing families, or other allowable expenses. Center-based providers may receive a base amount of $9,000 and home-based providers may receive $6,000. The funding may increase according to the number of children attending full-time care, up to $1,200 per child. Second, the state will offer incentive pay for child care providers and teachers during the state of emergency who remain open and working, in order to care for children of essential workers. Providers may receive $5 per hour up to 40 hours per week for each staff member working; and

To support child care programs that have closed, grants will be offered intended to support the costs of retaining staff and reopening programs once Wisconsin’s workforce can return to normal operations. These funds are required to be used for reopening within 30 days of receiving such funding, and must be used on specific activities such as paying staff, reimbursing families, mortgage and rent, utilities, materials for supplies or cleaning, and others. Providers may receive up to $1,000 per full-time staff and up to $700 per part-time staff. Each provider may not receive more than $10,000.

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Montana

Montana received $10.1 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and anticipates this funding will last through June. The state is using funds to offer financial support for child care programs; support temporary emergency child care; and cover enhanced payment rates for all subsidy recipients. Montana anticipates that by combining the emergency grant funds, plus the continued reimbursement subsidy slots, plus the potential use of other non-profit and/or small business supports, child care providers should be able to cover program expenses during the emergency.

Specifically, providers may apply for Emergency Grants—one-time payments of $3,000 for family programs; $5,000 for group homes; and, up to $8,000 for centers. Any licensed or registered child care program is eligible to apply, if they are currently operating or plan to reopen, and if they have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Further, the state is offering Temporary Emergency Child Care Support grants to non-licensed programs to cover the costs of care for essential, medical, and emergency personnel. This funding is available for the sole purpose of offering care to such families during the period of emergency, and is not intended to act as start-up grants for new child care providers or to provide temporary or new funding streams to existing youth development, school-age or afterschool programs, or summer programs. The state anticipates awarding 20 one-time grants: up to $23,000 for a program serving under 10 children each day; up to $55,000 for programs serving between 11-24 children each day; and, up to $90,000 for programs serving more than 24 children each day.

Additionally, for providers that have remained open, the state plans to pay providers for enrollment, rather than attendance, and cover all parent copayments from March through May. For those that have temporarily closed, but plan to reopen, the state will offer a backpay of three months.

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South Dakota

South Dakota received $9 million in supplemental funding for CCDBG through the CARES Act. South Dakota did not order all child care programs to close, and rather, allowed each provider to make the determination on their own. The state recommends all programs remaining open adhere to CDC guidance.

South Dakota’s Division of Child Care Services considers COVID-19 as a “special circumstance” and therefore, programs can have additional children in care until schools are open: no more than two additional children for family homes, no more than three additional children for group homes, and no more than 20 percent of the licensed capacity for centers. Any additional children are to be included in staff-to-child ratio requirements. The state is asking child care providers to be flexible with staff who are ill or caring for sick family members and recommends contingency planning for staff shortages in order to meet staff-to-child ratios. It is also asking providers to work with parents to identify children with special health conditions that place them at higher risk and take appropriate precautions. The state has also recommended avoiding mixed age classrooms, staggering transition times, limiting visitors, and adhering to other health and safety guidelines to reduce the spread of the virus.

The state established a grant program to provide one-time assistance to licensed providers that are open or plan to reopen. Grant amounts are based on provider type and enrollment. The South Dakota Department of Social Services notes that home-based providers may receive up to $2,520 and center-based providers may receive up to $26,000.

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Minnesota

Minnesota received $48.1 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. Over 4,000 family and center-based child care providers are continuing to offer care for emergency and essential workers during the crisis. The state is using $30 million of their funds to support a Peacetime Emergency Childcare Grant program for licensed providers who are offering child care to children of emergency responders. Grants are offered on a monthly basis beginning at $4,500, with additional $1,000 available for programs providing non-traditional hours care, care for children whose first language is not English, and/or who have special needs. Providers that are licensed to serve 15 or more children will be eligible for an additional amount of up to $15,500 per month. Minnesota is also continuing to provide subsidy payments for children who are absent at open facilities, and to providers who have temporarily closed, for up to one month.

Approximately $9.75 million was allocated in the first month of the grant, between April 18 through May 18. Rounds two and three will occur in subsequent months. The state received 5,401 applications or nearly 60% of all eligible providers. Of these, 84% were home-based or family care providers, and 16% were from centers. The state awarded grants to just 1,287 applicants, or about a quarter of those programs that applied.

One May 13, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) announced Phase I of the state reopening. Child care providers serving to essential workers are designated as critical businesses and have been open with limited capacity during the crisis. Now, providers are advised to continue adhering to public health guidelines and to prioritize child care enrollment for workers of critical businesses.

The state has also encouraged school districts and charter schools to provide care to school-aged children during the day to children of emergency workers, as well as to stay open during the summer months to respond to workforce needs. Local Emergency Operation Centers are offering child care providers cleaning products and supplies.

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Alabama

Alabama received $65 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Alabama is using funds to offer “sustainability payments” to providers that remain open and participate in the state’s subsidy program. These weekly payments are intended to help make up for lost income due to lower capacity levels as required by the state’s health orders. Providers will receive payments that represent 50% of children enrolled in a program. Additionally, providers that remain open will continue to receive subsidy payments based on attendance, including for school-aged children. No payments for absences will be provided, which is a change in policy from March, when providers would receive payments for children who were absent for more than 5 days.

Providers that are closed may also receive the sustainability payments to assist with regular, ongoing operating expenses, and to help offset costs associated with reopening but will not receive subsidy reimbursements.

Beginning in May, parents who work in the healthcare industry are able to receive child care assistance, regardless of their income levels. Participants must select a licensed child care provider, including centers or family homes. The program will last through the public health emergency, and all participants will be given a 20-day notice prior to the program’s expiration.

Alabama published separate orders for Early Head Start-Child Care Partnership grantee participants. Providers participating in this program are required to close through May 29, 2020 with a tentative reopening of June 1. During the closures, child care programs will continue to be paid their full rate per child, based on the number of contracted slots. Teachers and family care assistants will continue to be paid, even if they are unable to work. Programs that wish to remain open to provide child care during the emergency may do so as long as they are in compliance with all state and local guidance and standards, and are not required to meet EHS-CCP standards.

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Washington

Washington received $58.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and plans to fully obligate this funding by the end of June. In Washington, child care businesses and workers are deemed essential and exempt from the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order and therefore not required to close. However, data from the state shows over 25% of providers temporarily closed representing 35% of licensed capacity in Washington.

Washington allocated $29 million of its CARES dollars to a Child Care COVID-19 Grant Program to support providers that remain open. These one-time funds will be based on licensed capacity of three stages (under 50 children; 50-99 children; above 100 children). Small providers will be given $6,500, medium-sized providers will receive $11,500, and larger providers will receive $14,000. These grants may be used to support ongoing rent or mortgage payments, salaries of personnel, utilities, health and safety supplies and cleaning, or for purchasing food. All licensed providers that remain open will be able to apply for these grants in mid-May.

The state is also using funds to waive family copayments for April, May, and June. The Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families estimates that such payments will exhaust most of the state’s CARES funds by the end of June. Licensed providers are temporarily allowed to claim subsidy payments based on enrollment rather than attendance from March 16 through June 30, regardless of if the provider has temporarily closed or is still open. The state also relaxed requirements for unemployed families to regain eligibility when their 12-month subsidy eligibility expires.

In an effort to enable providers to care for more children during a low-attendance period, the state grants waivers allowing providers to care for children in mixed-age groups. However, Washington administrators call for more supplemental dollars to keep the state’s child care industry viable for a time when child care demand surges.

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North Dakota

North Dakota received $6 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state is using funds to offer emergency operating grants to any licensed provider, intended to help cover some of the extra costs of modified operating practices and to help sustain the child care industry through this period of disruption. Providers that remain open are eligible to receive grants, and recipients must agree to prioritize children of essential workers. Providers are also required to cap the fees they would typically charge families to hold a spot during extended absences at $50 each month. The state has asked all providers to consider offering care during extended, expanded, and alternative hours. Providers that have temporarily closed are not eligible to receive emergency grants. Payments will be based on facility type and licensed capacity.

The state also added flexibility to allow school districts to help care for children in grades K-5 whose parents work in vital health, safety and lifeline services, under modified operating approaches.

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Florida

Florida received $223.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. While Florida child care providers may remain operational, over 50% have temporarily closed. The Florida Department of Education’s Office of Early Learning has created a Child Care Application and Authorization Form specifically for frontline workers who need child care during this time. For these individuals, child care will be offered for a free or reduced rate for three months, April through June, at which point the continued need for child care will be reevaluated. In most cases, providers may still charge parents fees, but the state will cover copayments through at least the end of May.

Florida has used CARES Act funds to authorize a bonus system that provides additional funding to child care providers that have remained open to care for children of first responders and health care personnel. In addition to regular reimbursement rates, participating child care providers will receive a $500 bonus per child, with a maximum monthly bonus of $4,000, and a maximum $12,000 bonus for the 90-day duration of the program.

For providers that have remained open, the state is paying for all unanticipated absences due to parents keeping their children at home, beginning on March 1 without additional documentation required. Providers that have temporarily closed will also continue to be reimbursed based on enrollment and must submit additional documentation in the form of a questionnaire in order to receive such funding. These payments are both for the state’s child care subsidy as well as the Voluntary Preschool program. Florida has also created a streamlined process for coalitions to purchase supplies on behalf of providers, such as cleaning and protective items. The state has extended training and testing requirements for child care staff, including competency exams, through September 2020. Because local colleges are closed, classes may be offered online.

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Missouri

Missouri received $66.5 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act and has fully obligated funding through a CARES Act Child Care Plan as part of the state’s Show Me Strong Recovery.

From May 1 through August 31, parents who are working, attending school, or a training program, with an income above current subsidy eligibility (138% of the federal poverty level, or $30,000 for a family of three) and up to 215% (or about $45,000 for a family of three) of the federal poverty level may qualify for Transitional Child Care Subsidy, if they previously had not. Families who receive these benefits will see between 60% to 80% of the usual subsidy benefit depending on their income. This temporary assistance is estimated to cost almost $13 million.

Additionally, parents who are unemployed due to COVID-19 can receive a temporary child care benefit, for up to 90 days, while they search for work. This benefit is available through December, 2020 and is estimated to cost $14.4 million. For parents who are first responders, health care workers, and other essential personnel, the state has established a hotline and email address as a resource to assist in their search for child care. For parents who were already receiving a state subsidy, all benefits are automatically extend for 90 days. The state will work on a case-by-case basis to approve additional hours of care for impacted families.
For providers, those that remain open serving children of essential personnel can receive a one-time bonus payment based on that provider’s capacity, ranging between $1,000 for smaller providers (under 10 children) and up to $7,500 (over 200 children served). The state anticipates this will cost $3.5 million per month. Additionally, providers operating during non-traditional hours (7:00pm to 6:00am, or on the weekend) can receive a $100 monthly stipend for each child care slot offered for the months of April, May, and June, for a total cost of $4.2 million. All providers will receive subsidy payments based on enrollment rather than actual attendance for the same months, anticipated to cost almost $20 million.

Missouri has allocated $10 million in one-time competitive grants to institutions of higher education to establish on-campus child care programs. The state will work with institutions of higher education and the state’s workforce development boards to assess the needs of the state’s workers, and will require programs to reserve some space for children receiving state subsidies.

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Iowa

Iowa received $32 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state has developed a COVID-19 Childcare Sustainability Plan for obligating its supplemental funds. Within the span of one month–March 1 through March 31–the state reports 76% of programs that had temporarily closed. The vast majority (87%) plan to reopen, but the 13% of those who said they would not still represent a harsh reality for the future of child care in Iowa.

The state is providing a monthly stipend of $2,000 to all licensed centers that remain open, and $500 to all registered homes that remain open. To encourage providers to serve essential services personnel, the state will double this stipend to providers if they offer a 25% tuition discount to such workers, for a potential total of $4,000 to centers and $1,000 to homes. These payments will be available from May through July and expected to cost about $20 million.

For providers serving families receiving subsidies, the state will pay full tuition amounts including any copays, which are waived for families at a cost of $2 million. The state continues to pay full-day, full-attendance rates to providers for all school-aged children enrolled. Iowa has provided hand sanitizer and other cleaning supplies directly to providers and is covering the cost of background checks for temporary emergency site employees.

For programs that have closed, the state will offer “Rejuvenation Grants” in the form of one-time payments available from April through June. These are intended to help providers come back into the market by addressing loss of revenue while closed and for cleaning, replacing equipment or materials, and acquiring necessary supplies. Licensed centers are eligible for $1,500 and registered homes are eligible for $600 through these grants, which will cost the state $6 million from their CARES Act funds.

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New Hampshire

New Hampshire received $7 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state is spending their CARES Act funds, and additional state and philanthropic funds, on several efforts to keep child care programs afloat and to prioritize care for children whose parents are essential workers, as well as children with special needs and those at risk for abuse and neglect.

The state has allocated over $7 million for costs associated with operationalizing an Emergency Child Care System, including covering payments for subsidy families, extended absences, and program closures. Of that, some money has gone to creating a $5 hourly incentive payment to keep child care workers working and off the state’s unemployment system. As of May 1, around half of the state’s child care workers had filed for unemployment, according to state officials. These officials noted that the additional $600 weekly unemployment benefit enacted as part of the CARES Act federal stimulus, pays more than a child care worker’s typical wage.

Child Care Aware of New Hampshire, funded by the state, has created an emergency child care response telephone line and website to determine current and future capacity of child care professionals to provide emergency child care services and match employers and parents. The state has also started distributing cleaning supplies to all the open child care providers including boxes containing soap, bleach, masks and toilet paper.

As of May 1, 243 child care centers had been designated participants in the program, with almost 400 by May 11. This exceeds the state’s initial estimates that 150 providers would sign up. About 6,000 children are going to these child care programs each week, and there are about 1,000 more spots available as more businesses reopen. However, this is a small number compared to the state’s pre-pandemic child care use: there were some 46,000 slots in February.

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District Of Columbia

The District of Columbia has activated a Child Care Disaster Response plan in response to COVID-19. The district strongly encourages that child care centers follow guidelines on the operating status of public schools, which remain closed. Because of this, the district will continue subsidy payments and will offer reimbursements based on enrollment rather than attendance. All parents receiving child care subsidy assistance will have their copays waived during the public health emergency. Families who have their 12 month eligibility expire during the public health emergency will remain eligible for subsidized child care until the District government resumes in-person operations.

For health care workers and essential government employees and contractors, the district has partnered with several licensed providers to create emergency child care sites. Emergency child care is offered from 6 am to 8 pm, Monday through Friday, at six sites. The sites follow recent federal and District of Columbia Government health and safety guidance related to group size limits, cleaning protocols and screenings before children and staff enter a facility. Health care professionals who currently receive a child care voucher will continue to have their child care costs covered and will not be charged a copay. Given the urgent need for care, the district is helping to alleviate part of the cost of care for families who do not typically qualify for child care assistance. Out-of-pocket costs for these families vary depending on the provider and age of the child.

The district announced all licensing inspections will be postponed until the end of the public health emergency. This includes initial, unannounced monitoring, annual, renewal, validation visits and follow up inspections. Processing of criminal background checks will continue without interruption.

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Vermont

Vermont received $4.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state has implemented a series of measures to support programs providing child care to essential personnel, and a tuition support program to allow programs to pay their staff during the closure period. Emergency child care is prioritized for children whose parents or guardians are health care system employees, first responders, and essential government employees who are responsible for the execution of the COVID-19 response. Programs operating as emergency child care will receive an additional $125 each week in supplemental pay (on top of tuition) per child served in emergency care. Programs that are closed, if they commit to fully paying all staff and to asking families to pay half of their usual tuition (or usual copay, if they receive subsidy), will receive full tuition payment for each enrolled child. A family that chooses to not pay the 50% to their provider can unenroll their child and the state will cover the full cost of the usual tuition, up to $360 each week, until the provider has filled the slot. The intent around paying 50% of tuition is to help ensure programs will remain stable and can reopen when stay at home orders are eventually lifted. The state notes that unemployment insurance doesn’t cover ongoing expenses such as mortgages or lease payments, utilities, or other fixed costs. Families who cannot pay, or who have seen a change in income due to work disruptions can apply for the state’s subsidy program.

On April 27, the secretary of the Vermont Agency of Human Services, which oversees child care in the state, announced during a press conference that child care programs will likely be allowed to reopen to non-essential workers sometime in June.

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New Hampshire

New Hampshire received $7 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state is spending their CARES funds, and additional state and philanthropic funds, on several efforts to keep child care programs afloat and to prioritize care for children whose parents are essential workers, as well as children with special needs and those at risk for abuse and neglect.

The state has allocated over $7 million for costs associated with operationalizing an Emergency Child Care System, including covering payments for subsidy families, extended absences, and program closures. Of that, some money has gone to creating a $5 hourly incentive payment to keep child care workers working and off the state’s unemployment system. As of May 1, around half of the state’s child care workers had filed for unemployment, according to state officials. These officials noted that the additional $600 weekly temporary unemployment benefit enacted as part of the CARES Act pays more than a child care worker’s typical wages.

As of May 1, 243 child care centers had been designated participants in the program, with another 62 ready to take on more children as more businesses reopen. This exceeds the state’s initial estimates that 150 providers would sign up. About 5,000 children are going to child care programs each week, and there are about 1,500 more spots available. However, this is a small number compared to the state’s pre-pandemic child care use: there were some 46,000 slots in February.

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Arkansas

Arkansas received $41.5 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state will use an estimated $15 million of the CARES funds to increase the subsidy reimbursement rates for child care providers remaining open for children of frontline workers. Specifically, through August 14, 2020, and for each child receiving a federal subsidy through the state, providers will receive an additional $10 per infant/toddler, $7 per preschool aged child, and $5 per each school-age/out of school time care. The state is suspending the renewal process for families, so that all parents who receive a subsidy can continue doing so through the pandemic. Arkansas will also utilize $18 million of the CARES funds to provide short-term child care assistance to essential workers through a voucher paid directly to a qualified child care provider, regardless of that worker’s income.

Additionally, an estimated $8 million in CARES Act funds will help child care providers cover the costs of cleaning and sanitizing equipment needed to meet required pandemic safety protocols. This one-time payment is available for licensed providers who remain open, or will reopen, between May 4 and August 31, 2020. Funding amounts will be based on licensed capacity and the quality level of programs.

In addition to using CCDBG funds through the CARES Act to support child care, Arkansas will tap Community Development Block Grant funds to support small businesses, including child care providers, through bridge loans. Arkansas reports that of the around 2,000 child care providers licensed in the state, more than half have remained opened during the pandemic emergency period.

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Texas

Texas received $371.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state has responded to child care needs during COVID-19 by developing a new online child care portal specifically to help frontline employees locate child care and apply for subsidies, and to guide child care providers who have stayed in operation. The state is prioritizing care for children of healthcare and pharmacy workers, first responders, critical infrastructure workers, and child care staff who are still working to support others. Income eligibility has been expanded to 150% of the state median income, or about $99,000 annually for a three-person household. The state allocated $200 million to subsidize three months of child care for these essential workers and to support the high cost for providers operating with reduced class sizes. Parents who qualify for the frontline subsidy will not pay a copayment or fees to access child care. For parents who are not eligible for assistance, providers may continue to collect tuition.

Licensed providers that stay open must complete an Emergency Notification Survey and consider operational changes including ages served, hours of operations, capacity, and ratio requirements. The state does not set reimbursement rates for child care subsidy: across the state, 28 local Workforce Development Boards set reimbursement rates based on the type of program (center, home, etc.), age of children, and quality rating. These boards are responsible for developing planning and oversight responsibilities for workforce programs and services in their area, including the child care subsidy program.

For providers who are not licensed, Texas created a Temporary Emergency Child Care Operation permit valid for 60 days, and renewable, or at least through the extent of the disaster. Each TECCO must only provide child care to essential workers or for children receiving protective services, and comply with health and safety standards.

In May, the state offered Stabilization Grants to support the reopening of providers that temporarily closed. As of June 1, the state no longer covers parent copayments. However, providers will receive a 25% enhanced reimbursement rate when enrolled children are absent from child care.

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Mississippi

Mississippi received $47 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. In response to COVID-19, the state created a Childcare Crisis Assistance in Isolation Response, or CCAIR Plan, to guide providers and parents through child care during the pandemic. The plan establishes CCAIR child care sites, a temporary designation for locations that remain open to provide emergency child care to families whose work is considered essential by the state. Any existing child care provider can be a CCAIR provider, but in order to serve children with emergency subsidy certificates (detailed below), programs must complete CCAIR orientation training, provided online free of charge.

Parents who meet the definition of a priority population will be able to receive an emergency subsidy certificate, without consideration of family income during the declared disaster. These emergency certificates will cover the full cost of care and parents need not pay any copayment to their preferred provider. Additionally, parents already receiving child care subsidies who have lost their job or do not meet the school or work hour requirements due to COVID-19 will remain eligible for the subsidy program. However, parents are required to continue seeking employment and/or school enrollment. If the crisis extends beyond three months, and a parent still has not found employment, the state will extend eligibility for 60 days.

The state will pay providers based on enrollment, rather than attendance, through May, as long as the enrolled child has attended at least one day during the first month of the declared emergency. Additionally, the full subsidy will be paid to providers, including any parent copayments through May. This will continue as long as funds are available. In early May, the state also provided all licensed and registered child care providers with an opportunity to request health and safety supplies at no cost.
State officials also conducted a webinar for child care providers about financial support available to them outside of the state subsidy program, including the Paycheck Protection Program and expanded unemployment insurance.

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Rhode Island

Rhode Island received $8 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state mandated all child care providers, including family providers, to close through June 1, and has also suspended all licenses during this time. To help parents who still need child care, the state is partnering with Care.com. All parents–not just those identified as essential–still in need of child care can use the website for free, for 90 days. Rhode Island is also encouraging residents interested in becoming caregivers to register on the website.

The state’s Department of Human Services is supporting providers during this time by continuing subsidy payments until June 1, including reimbursing providers based on enrollment, not attendance; covering the cost of family copayments in provider payments; and, waiving the absence policy for families receiving subsidies.

Prior to the planned reopening of the state’s businesses on June 1, all child care providers must develop and submit a “COVID-19 Plan” to the state’s child care licensing body. This plan serves as an application process for providers to reopen; the state must approve such plans prior to programs reopening. These plans must address new health regulations, such as reduced group sizes, screening procedures, and movement between classrooms; enhanced training; and new payment practices. These new payment practices will be in effect from June 1 through August 28, and include subsidy payments based on enrollment rather than attendance for those providers who reopen, as well as a temporary rate enhancement to support reopening costs. For providers who do not reopen, reimbursements will no longer be provided.

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New Jersey

New Jersey received $63 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state directed the closure of all child care centers except for those on federal property or military bases, family-based centers caring for five or fewer children, and any centers that register to exclusively provide emergency child care services to essential personnel. Nearly 600 child care providers statewide have been certified to provide emergency child care services. The state is using CARES funds to support child care costs for essential workers, through an Emergency Child Care Assistance Program. Essential employees with young children wishing to participate must register online, at which point the county-based Child Care Research and Referral agency will reach out to assist to enrollment and placement. The state will pay uniform rates to each provider, depending on age of child enrolled, through April. The state notes that if additional federal assistance is available, more may be done.

Additionally, New Jersey continues to pay all providers based on enrollment for March, April, and May, regardless of whether the program has closed as a precaution or remains open. Providers remaining open will also receive a $100 stipend per child, on top of their regular subsidy rate. Additional assistance may be available to subsidy-recipients who have had their hours reduced or laid off, or with school-aged children who might require additional hours of care, to help with copayments.

The state permits all child care providers to reopen on June 15 provided that they comply with strict child care health guidelines. The Emergency Child Care Assistance Program is now closed, and families needing financial assistance will resume the regular Child Care Subsidy Program.

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New Mexico

New Mexico received $29.4 million in CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. In New Mexico, child care remains open to serve essential employees. The state has decided to spend their funding on several activities to both support essential workers—including child care staff—and to stabilize the child care market for the long run. Almost half of their funds will be allocated through Recovery and Stabilization grants, distributed in May, to help support the ongoing operations of child care programs. The state anticipates nearly 1,000 providers would receive these grants which will range from $2,000 to $34,000 depending on the setting, size, quality level, and number of children receiving subsidy. Another 27% of CARES funding will support providers that remain open by offering an incentive of $250 per child. While child care homes are not eligible for grants, they are eligible for the incentive payments.

To support child care staff who are still working amidst the crisis, New Mexico is spending 27% of their CARES funds on incentive pay for the months of April through June. Full time staff are eligible for $700 each month, while part-time staff are eligible for $350 each month. The state also continues to pay providers for all contracts if the provider has temporarily closed, has waived copays for families, has purchased and delivered personal protective equipment, and is expediting the background check process. Lastly, New Mexico has established a Family, Friend, and Neighbor program to provide emergency care.

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Ohio

Ohio received $117 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state is using funds for a Temporary Pandemic Child Care Program, a short-term license for child care providers to stay open for parents working on the frontlines of the crisis. Providers—both centers and homes—that remain open are asked to prioritize medical professionals. The state keeps a list of approved providers, searchable on the Department of Jobs and Family Services website. Child care workers employed in pandemic programs are also considered essential, and may send their children to such temporary programs. Payments to providers occur on a weekly basis and are set determined on the provider’s quality rating, the number and ages of enrolled children. Additionally, programs may not charge families additional copayments or fees.

All providers were permitted to reopen on May 31 under strict guidelines to reduce group sizes, conduct temperature screens, and increase hand washing. The reopening was accompanied by the establishment of a $60 million grant program funded with supplemental CCDBG dollars from the CARES Act. Licensed child care providers are eligible for a monthly COVID-19 payment of $500 to $6,000 based on their child capacity and star rating. Providers are further eligible for a Ratio Support Payment of $273 to $22,820 based on enrollment to assist providers during a period of low attendance.

Kara Bertke-Wente, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services, said that “we certainly appreciate the commitment that was made to us” through the CARES Act. However, she notes that providers are “concerned about what happens when this money runs out … in July or August,” and believes that more financial support is needed to help Ohio child care providers and working parents.

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Arizona

Arizona received $88 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state is using funds to fully cover costs of child care for frontline workers through newly established Arizona Enrichment Centers. On May 14, program eligibility was expanded to prioritize child care for the children of grocery store employees and food bank workers.

Licensed providers wishing to stay open must register to become an enrichment center, and upon approval, will be reimbursed for the full cost of care for children served. Providers may not charge families additional copays or fees beyond what is provided by the state, as the reimbursement is intended to cover all costs of care during this time. Those participating in this program must take temperatures of all children, staff, and volunteers, and all staff must have completed background checks. Priority for space will be given based on where parents live and, for health care workers, programs that are in close proximity to hospitals. Providers participating in the program can request supplies such as baby wipes, sanitizer, cleaning products, paper products, and water or snacks, on a weekly basis. The state anticipates operating the Enrichment Center program through the end of July 2020.

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Colorado

Colorado received $42.5 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state identified child care as a critical service and therefore, programs can continue operating under emergency status. On May 24, Colorado concluded its Emergency Child Care Collaborative, which ensured that essential workers had access to child care. Through the emergency program, the state covered 100% of child care tuition for essential workers, and providers were prohibited from charging families any additional fees or copays beyond what was provided by the collaborative. The emergency program was a public-private partnership, funded through both CARES Act CCDBG funding and philanthropic resources. Once the program ended, the state began referring all families to the Colorado Shines Child Care website to find available child care in their area. For families in need of financial assistance, the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program provides child care benefits to families who are working, searching for employment, or are in job training, as well as families who are enrolled in the Colorado Works program.

The state has expanded income eligibility for this program; families qualify if they make to up to 85% of the state median income, or about $72,000 per year, up from about $60,000 per year (but individual counties can determine their own eligibility rules). Additionally, the state’s Family Resource Centers are continuing to distribute essential supplies including formula, diapers and wipes, and others.

Looking ahead, into the reopening phase, the state plans to reform subsidy payments to cover reduced ratios and groups sizes, support flexibility for staff due to anticipated absences, and health costs from screenings to preventative measures. The state also anticipates an increase to social and emotional behavior supports, and will help to identify additional support services and consultations for families. Colorado has also raised questions about how to reopen stronger, building capacity to support alternative care models including family child care networks and shared services programs. The state also identifies a need to consider new cost modeling under these new economic and societal realities, including cost-based reimbursements rather than market rate calculations.

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Connecticut

Connecticut received an additional $23.5 million for CCDBG through the CARES Act. Child Care has been identified as an essential service in the state. Connecticut is using their CARES Act funding to provide additional resources to licensed child care providers, both centers and family child care providers, that have stayed open to serve children of essential workers. Specifically, additional reimbursements will be made to licensed programs that are caring for children of essential workers during the crisis. Programs that have closed are eligible once they reopen. The state intends this will help offset the higher costs many child care providers are experiencing while they adhere to strict new public health standards, such as lower ratios, and operate with decreased enrollment. Programs are also asked to document how they will use this funding to increase wages for staff during the crisis.

Connecticut intends to offer the financial assistance through May and may extend it depending on how much funding is available, but has not yet announced plans to do so.

Separately, Connecticut has established “CTCARES for Hospital Workers,” an emergency child care program across the state to serve hospital and other healthcare workers as they continue to work on the frontlines of the crisis. The state, working in partnership with major hospitals, determined the child care needs of hospital employees. and subsequently opened 25 child care locations at hospitals around the state for the children of healthcare workers to support each hospital’s staffing needs. The program will run through the end of June is supported by a $3 million donation from Dalio Philanthropies.

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Delaware

Delaware received $9.7 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and has deemed child care as essential during the pandemic. Child care programs in Delaware may continue operating as emergency child care in an effort to assist essential personnel during the crisis. Providers who remain open can apply for enhanced reimbursements from the state. “Enhanced Reimbursements” may be used for additional staff pay, sanitation, or meeting additional state health requirements. Such enhanced reimbursements shall be determined by vacant slots at sites, and tiered reimbursements are made for programs that are closed, the rate of reimbursement determined by whether they are still paying staff.

From June 1 to June 15, or Phase 1 of Delaware’s economic reopening plan, providers designated as Emergency Child Care Sites that remain open will continue to receive enhanced reimbursements. Emergency sites that reopen in June will receive enhanced reimbursements at separate rates for the first and second half of the month, based on their date of reopening.

During Phase 2, effective on June 15, all licensed child care providers can reopen, regardless of Emergency Child Care Site designation. Providers must submit a written COVID-19 Child Care Plan and adhere to public health and safety regulations developed by the Office of Child Care Licensing. Required protocol includes maximum group size, screening procedures, cloth face covering guidelines, cleaning and sanitization requirements, and social distancing information. In this phase, providers that remain closed are eligible for tiered reimbursement based on whether they are paying staff. Effective July 1, providers that stay closed will no longer receive enhanced reimbursements.

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New Jersey

New Jersey received $63 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state has executed a waiver to allow for flexible operating standards for child care facilities, as well as permitting schools to remain open to provide child care services in emergency situations for essential workers. Any provider remaining open will operate as an Emergency Child Care Center, through a commitment to provide care exclusively to children of essential personnel during the time that public schools are closed. Both licensed and licensed-exempt providers may participate. Family child care providers do not fall under the order to close, and can continue operating under their previous circumstances.

New Jersey is also using funds to launch an Emergency Child Care Assistance Program to cover child care costs for essential workers, regardless of their income. Under this program, parents may be responsible for differences in state payment rates and provider tuition rates, although providers are prohibited from raising rates beyond 10%. For parents currently receiving subsidy, the state is covering all costs of the program and waiving all parent copayments or additional fees. Each of these policies will last through May, at which point the state will revisit the situation and any available federal resources.

West Virginia

West Virginia received $23 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state is providing child care assistance for any parent who has been deemed an essential worker, and will provide funding directly to providers at an enhanced rate for the duration of the crisis or as funding remains. Nearly 700 child care providers have registered with the state as a “critical child care site” to remain operational to help with essential personnel.

As West Virginia residents begin to return to work, Governor Jim Justice (R) announced guidelines for child care programs considering reopening, including a requirement that all child care staff be tested for COVID-19. The state will cover all costs for providers and employees to receive testing, and those without insurance will not face charges or copays. The West Virginia National Guard has been instructed to assist with testing if needed. Providers must also submit a checklist to the state about their intent to reopen under new health and safety preparedness, including identifying plans to cover staff absences, measures to prevent the spread of the illness, implementing social distancing and smaller ratios, and other areas of importance.

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Colorado

Colorado received $42.5 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state identified child care as a critical service and therefore, programs can continue operating under emergency status. Colorado established an Emergency Child Care Collaborative to ensure that essential workers have access to child care. Through the emergency program, the state covers 100% of child care tuition for essential workers through May 17, and providers may not charge families any additional fees or copays beyond what is provided by the collaborative. The emergency program is a public-private partnership, funded through both CCDBG funding and philanthropic resources. Additionally, the state’s Family Resource Centers are distributing essential supplies including formula, diapers and wipes, and others.

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Minnesota

The state has also encouraged school districts and charter schools to provide care to school-aged children during the day to children of emergency workers. Local Emergency Operation Centers are offering child care providers cleaning products and supplies.

Wisconsin

Wisconsin received $51.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state is primarily using funds to provide child care for essential workers, and is seeking approval from the legislature to provide grants directly to child care providers. The state, in partnership with the Wisconsin Hospitals Association, surveyed health providers to identify how many staff needed child care, and conducted a survey of providers to identify which remained open to serve these workers. The state also surveyed the early childhood workforce to identify those who would be willing to continue providing child care in-home, and to assist staffing new emergency child care centers. Wisconsin has allowed child care providers to open as emergency child care providers, and will allow additional providers to reopen once the demand for child care increases. Providers that remain open are instructed to prioritize essential workforce families through May 26.

Wisconsin must obtain approval from the Joint Committee on Finance in order to provide CARES Act funding directly to child care providers. The Wisconsin Department of Children and Families will provide funding opportunities once they receive approval.

The state is continuing to pay providers during this emergency, and the continuity of funds is intended to provide compensation and benefits to staff, and to support the infrastructure so programs are able to reopen. The funding is reevaluated on a monthly basis.

Hawaii

Hawaii received $12 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state has yet to publish their plan for utilizing the additional CCDBG funds. In response to the pandemic, Hawaii has increased program flexibility for families who seek child care subsidies provided by Child Care Connection Hawaii and the Preschool Open Doors program. As of late March, families of essential workers qualify for child care subsidy program regardless of their income, and existing child care subsidies may be used to hold a space at a licensed and registered provider until care operations resume. Families facing financial hardship due to COVID-19 may also request waivers for co-payments.

Hawaii is maintaining and updating a list of licensed and registered child care facilities available for children of essential workers. Contact information and operational hours are listed here. Organizations interested in operating emergency child care for essential workers and are not licensed by the state Department of Human Services may submit a request for review at [email protected].

Georgia

Georgia received $144.5 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. While the state has allowed child care to remain open, approximately 1,700 of the nearly 4,500 licensed child care programs remain open to serve first responders. As such, the state is continuing to provide subsidy payments to child care providers who have temporarily closed. Georgia established a new priority for receipt of child care subsidy assistance, including essential personnel who are law enforcement, public safety, medical staff, and child care personnel. Parents working in these fields and whose household income does not exceed 50% of the state’s median income ($32,000 for a family of three) are eligible to receive child care subsidy for at least three months. The state will pay up to the maximum reimbursement rate for each child, but the family may still have to pay a copayment or fee. On May 1, the individuals eligible based on their job category expands to food and grocery store personnel, food and grocery manufacturing, farming and food production or processing, and food and grocery transit, distribution, and delivery, as well as restaurant workers. The state estimates this will use around $3 million of their CARES Act funding.

Also on May 1, all child care providers are able to apply for Short Term Assistance Benefit for Licensed Entities, or STABLE, payments. These payments may be used to cover staff salaries and benefits, including for substitutes, tuition relief for families, lease or mortgage payments, utilities, cleaning supplies, classroom materials or supplies, unreimbursed food, and other supplies required by CDC guidelines. The state anticipates this funding to total $50 million.

After these payments are made, Georgia has said it intends to survey providers to get a better understanding of their needs, in order to establish a plan for spending the rest of their CARES Act allocation. Effective May 14, all open child care programs must adhere to CDC guidelines, as required by an executive order from Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R), through July 12, 2020, or until further notice.

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Idaho

Idaho received $20 million in supplemental CCDBG funding in the CARES Act. Child care has been deemed an essential service in Idaho, and the state plans to use their supplemental funds for continuing subsidy payments for providers if they have closed or decreased enrollment (40%), paying direct grants to providers for continued operations if they have closed or decreased enrollment (20%), for child care providers serving frontline and essential workers, and for sanitation, cleaning supplies, and related services or supplies.

The Idaho Child Care Emergency Grant launched on May 1 and is expected to take up at least 75% of the state’s CARES Act funding. The program provides funds to licensed and registered child care providers who administer full-time child care. Applications are accepted until the end of June, and requested funds may cover incurred expenses from March through July 2020. Grant amounts are determined by provider type, and funds will be available in amounts of up to $15,000 for large centers, $8,000 for small centers, $4,000 for licensed group homes, and $2,000 for family child care homes.

Looking ahead, Idaho would like to invest more in disaster preparation and recovery grants, trauma informed community supports, and out of school time programming for children.

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Illinois

In Illinois, all licensed child care programs had closed but the state deemed child care essential and created a new emergency license for centers that continue to operate. Homes can operate under license-exempt status for up to six children during the stay at home order. The state received $118.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and state officials estimate they will use funds for increased payment rates for child care providers serving frontline and essential workers (50%), continuing subsidy payments for providers if they have closed or decreased enrollment (35%), paying for child care for essential workers who would not otherwise qualify for subsidy, and sanitation, cleaning supplies, and related services or supplies.

As of June 1, most regions in Illinois are in Phase 3 of the state’s five-phased plan for reopening, meaning licensed child care centers and home-based providers can reopen with limited capacity. Before reopening, providers must develop an agency action plan and an enhanced risk management plan in order to prevent the spread of COVID-19. After a four-week period of operations, providers without the previous emergency license may apply to expand capacity. Providers with emergency licenses may apply without the four-week waiting period.

Illinois anticipates funding through CARES to last through June and are aggressively supporting providers in accessing the Paycheck Protection Program and unemployment insurance so the supplemental CCDBG funds can last longer. The state is currently cost-modeling about how to further finance child care into the fall.

The state viewed the flexibilities given in CARES as very useful, especially the ability to serve essential workers, and believe that looking ahead, Congress could help by providing funds that can be used in a flexible way to stabilize state and local revenues. In a May 28 webinar, Theresa Hawley, first assistant deputy governor of education in the Illinois governor’s office, stated, “It is not an understatement to say we fear a full and complete collapse” of the child care market if additional funds are not offered to Illinois, said . The state estimates another $335 million is needed to support child care in the state through the next year, which equates to a roughly $20 billion federal investment on top of the CARES Act funds.

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Indiana

Indiana received an additional $78.8 million for CCDBG in the CARES Act. The state is using the additional funds to provide Temporary Assistance Grants to Retain Child Care, designed to replace lost revenues from private-pay children during COVID-19. Grants are intended to assist providers—both those still open and who have temporarily closed but plan to reopen by June 14—in continuing to pay staff during this time and to ensure the future viability of these programs. Any provider who is eligible to participate in CCDBG may apply and must reapply every two weeks in order to receive funds. As of June 1, school facilities that are not licensed or registered child care providers are no longer eligible for the Temporary Assistance grant. Additionally, to receive grant assistance, providers must be open by June 14 with children in attendance, with exceptions for providers who close due to a confirmed COVID-19 case.

Over the first month of Temporary Assistance Grants, over 2,000 programs received a total of nearly $20 million through the grants. Of applicants, 55% were home-based family child care providers, 32% were center-based programs, and 13% were faith-based ministries. Additional CARES Act funding will be used to support programs reopen when the crisis begins to pass.

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Kansas

Through the CARES Act, Kansas received an additional $30.77 million in CCDBG funds. The state has used this money to create a Hero Relief Program which expands child care subsidies for essential workers, specifically health care workers and first responders, and provides financial support directly to child care providers. The new program specifically targets health care workers, first responders and other essential workers, such as food and agricultural workers, the National Guard, and social workers. The state has capped eligibility at 250% of the federal poverty level (or $54,300 for a family of three).

The Hero Relief Program will also support child care providers by providing a variety of financial assistance measures, including grants, to help with continuing operations during the pandemic. The uses of funds may include pay for ongoing expenses such as rent or mortgage, staff salaries, replacement for loss of enrollment, purchasing necessary supplies such as gloves and disinfectants, and other items. The state also is offering a one-time bonus for providers who are staying open to care for children of essential workers during the crisis.

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Kentucky

Kentucky ordered licensed, certified, and registered child care programs to close on March 20 until further notice. The state received $67.7 million in supplemental funding through the CARES Act. The state is using funds to offer subsidy payments to providers based on enrollment, rather than attendance, during the crisis, regardless of whether the program is currently open or has temporarily closed. Additionally, the state will cover the cost of parent copays to avoid placing additional financial strain on parents during this time. Kentucky plans to also offer subsidy payments to limited duration child care programs, given that most registered and licensed providers are currently closed, pending a waiver request.

During late May, Kentucky released its plan to reopen child care in June. Effective June 8, certified home-based providers can reopen subject to required public health and safety guidelines. Effective June 15, licensed center-based programs and day camps can reopen. However, limited duration child care programs established during the May 20 closure order must now close or transition into a licensed or certified program by August 31. Kentucky mandates that all providers follow their appropriate maximum group sizes, screening and illness requirements, cleaning and disinfecting guidelines, and personal protective equipment rules.

The Kentucky Child Care Assistance Program will phase out paying for co-pays and offering flexibility on subsidy payments. Effective July 15, the state will suspend paying parent co-pays for licensed, certified, and registered child care providers. On October 1, CCAP subsidies will return to payments by attendance, not enrollment, for licensed, certified, and registered providers. However, if a provider delays reopening for a month past these deadlines in order to obtain staffing or purchase personal protective equipment, then the state will continue to pay subsidies based on enrollment. A program that delays beyond a one-month amnesty period will not qualify for this exemption.

Because of the support from the CARES Act, “everybody was able to sustain [their program] through June, but once they reopen, there is just more funding that is needed to create stability,” said Sarah Vanover, director of the Division of Child Care at the Cabinet for Health and Family Services in Kentucky. Kentucky anticipates losing up to 20% of its capacity to serve infants and toddlers, and a 50% reduction in preschool capacity, if more funding is not available. According to Vanover, “instead of focusing on these next 3 to 4 months… we’ve got to look beyond the next year and say [child care] is something that must stay in place for a long time.”

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Louisiana

Louisiana received $67.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Louisiana plans to allocate these funds to two separate grants to support families and providers both during the crisis and when parents can go back to work and programs can reopen. For each grant, any provider who is certified for the state’s subsidy program, including family home and in-home providers, are eligible to apply. The two grants are as follows.

Emergency Child Care Development Fund Response Grant: This grant is intended for child care providers that have remained open or have reopened during the crisis to offer care for children of frontline and essential workers, and that are incurring additional costs as a result of mitigation requirements and CDC guidance. The state encourages providers to use funds to pay staff salaries and to cover additional costs associated with operating during the pandemic, such as sanitation supplies and utilities. Providers must have been serving children after March 23, 2020, in order to apply.

Emergency Child Care Relief Grant: This grant will support providers to remain operational after the crisis passes. As with the emergency response grant, a portion of these funds are encouraged to be used to pay the salaries and wages of staff and may be used on other operational costs such as supplies, rent or mortgages, and utilities.

The Louisiana Department of Education will release second and third round applications for the Child Care Assistance Provider relief grants to support providers as the state transitions into reopening the economy. Round 2 grants are available to qualified child care centers and certified home-based providers who are operational by June 1. Round 3 grants are available for providers who are operational by late summer. Grant applicants will be eligible to receive $187.50 per child in licensed capacity.

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Maine

Maine received $11 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state is using its CARES funds to provide child care subsidy for essential employees who exceed current Child Care Subsidy Program (CCSP) income guidelines through June, or two weeks after the end of the state declared emergency, whichever is soonest. For these subsidies, payments will be offered directly to providers of a parent’s choosing. As of June 1, the state has provided 435 essential workers and 644 children who would typically have exceeded the income threshold with emergency care. There are still 187 outstanding applications, which will be processed until June 12. Maine projects this subsidy program will use $1 million of the CARES Act funds.

Additionally, the state is providing a one-time stipend to all licensed child care providers and all license-exempt non-relative providers participating in CCSP, with varying amounts based on their status (opened or closed), and their capacity. Providers that are closed will receive $75 per licensed slot, while those that remain open will receive $175 per licensed slot. As of June 1, the stipend program has served 1,650 providers, which include 844 family child care providers, 759 facilities and 47 license-exempt providers. Maine estimates the cost of the stipend program to be around $5.2 million.

Further, the state plans to provide grants to aid child care providers in resuming operations following the civil emergency. Beginning June 8, a recovery grant application will open to providers who plan to reopen or resume operations. Maine plans to spend $4.7 million on this grant program. The details of the grant process is forthcoming.

As of June, Maine had obligated all of its CARES Act funding. While appreciated, it was not enough, said Todd Landry, director of the Maine Office of Child and Family Services. Landry explained the difficulties facing the industry, saying that “when people did the math, it was better for them to go on unemployment than to keep working, and that did drive some [child care] closures.” Landry recommended that “as we look to these recovery pieces we have got to look at how we support child care… additional resources and flexibilities to support those child care providers to enable their parents to return to the workforce and get their economies moving again” is critical for our nation’s rebound from the crisis.

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Maryland

Maryland received $45 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Maryland considers child care as an essential service and has obligated 100% of their CCDBG funding provided in the CARES Act. The state believes that in order to continue supporting their existing activities and accomplish these additional goals, they would need an additional $60 million over the next six months.

CARES Act funds have been obligated for covering costs of child care for child care for essential workers (75%) and increasing the payment rates for child care providers who are open and serving frontline and essential workers (25%). Maryland already uses CCDBG funds to continue paying subsidy payments to providers if they have decreased enrollment.

Since March 30, the state provided child care through the Essential Personnel Child Care and Essential Personnel School Age programs at no cost to essential workers with children between the ages of 6 weeks and 13 years old. Effective June 8, Maryland will no longer provide payment for child care services for essential workers, because of less funding available to cover the program than initially expected. Parents will resume responsibility for payments, and on May 16, providers were able to expand services to families from non-essential businesses newly reopened by the state’s recovery plan.

Looking ahead, Maryland is very concerned that they will not have enough child care options once this pandemic ends and parents start going back to work. To that end, they would like to do more to support child care, including paying providers who have closed due to concerns about COVID-19 and supporting family child care providers who are not collecting unemployment insurance. Additionally, the state would like to provide grants for programs who have had to spend more money on purchasing supplies to combat the virus, and offer mental health resources to providers, many who have no health insurance.

The state also believes that recovery grants would be extremely useful for child care providers who have had trouble accessing PPP funds and other loans, or are worried about forgiveness mandates. Officials would also like to see specific guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on how child care providers could protect families and children, as well as staff, given the nuances of child care and how it differs from public schools.

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Massachusetts

In Massachusetts, CARES Act funds “will fund a portion of our programs through the summer, but we intend we will need longer term solutions if we are going to sustain our programs,” said Samantha Aigner-Treworgy, commissioner at the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care. The state is concerned about the financial risks for providers as they open back up, and are particularly interested in long-term solutions for “how to sustain operations” and solutions for “how to recruit the workforce back.”

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Michigan

Michigan received $100 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act and announced it will be adding $30 million of CCDBG funding to create a Child Care Relief Fund. The fund will offer grants to child care providers who are open and serving children of essential workers and cover any parent copayments or fees. Providers must agree to reduce weekly rates for families by 10%. Grants may also be used to cover fixed costs such as mortgages, utilities, insurance, and/or payroll. Centers can apply for a grant of at least $3,000 and home-based providers for at least $1,500, with additional funding based on the size of the provider, whether they are open and serving essential workers, and their quality rating. Applications opened on April 29, and within the first day, the state received applications from 2,200 providers–or a quarter of providers they believe are eligible. Michigan’s goal is to support every provider in the state with a grant. The April application round was scheduled to close on June 5, with subsequent rounds opening later for the months of May and June.

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Montana

Montana received $10.1 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and anticipates this funding will last through June. The state plans to pay providers for enrollment, rather than attendance, and all parent copayments from March to May for those providers that have remained open. For those that have temporarily closed, but plan to reopen, the state will offer a backpay of three months. Additionally, Montana plans to offer mini-grants to all programs and larger grants to programs that are open and serving in emergency capacity.

Nevada

Nevada received $32.9 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and anticipates this funding will last through August. Child care has been deemed essential in Nevada, but over 70% of programs had temporarily closed. Nevada plans to primarily use CARES Act funds to relieve child care businesses from some of the economic impacts by awarding grants to support the continuing operations of providers who have closed or decreased enrollment through both direct grants to providers (64%) and continuing subsidy payments (24%). They will also use CARES Act funding to update eligibility systems and match families with open providers.

Nevada has also repurposed $1.2 million from unspent CCDBG quality dollars for emergency stipends to cover unexpected costs resulting from COVID-19. Unfortunately, the CARES Act did not cover the cost to provide funding to all child care providers in Nevada, and the state would need additional federal funding to support the market and allow programs to reopen once the crisis passes. Additionally, Nevada would like funding to offer a pay increase for child care staff, as officials note some providers are having trouble bringing back workers who are receiving the expanded unemployment insurance.

New York

New York received $163 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Child care has been deemed essential in New York. Prior to the passage of the CARES Act, the state covered child care copayments for families affected by COVID-19, expanded subsidy eligibility to families with up to 85% the state median income ($63,644 for a family of three) and extended the eligibility period for families to receive child care subsidies.

During Phase One of its child care relief plan, the state used$30 million to cover essential staff whose income was less than 300% of the federal poverty level—or $78,600 for a family of four—and was paid at market rate for each region statewide. Essential workers could use the funding to pay for their existing care arrangement or to find a new care arrangement that was open.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) also announced that the CARES funding would be used to purchase supplies for child care providers statewide who remain open, including masks, gloves, diapers, baby wipes, baby formula and food. Child care resource and referral agencies were to receive grants totaling approximately $600 per provider and were to distribute these supplies to providers.

As of May 28th, 59% of center-based providers and 26% of home-based providers had closed. Further, the state has reported a low utilization rate among parents, leading to 27% of open spaces being used during the crisis. This data indicates that those providers that remain open need support to cover payroll and fixed costs, given this decline in enrollment. During Phase Two, New York plans to use its CARES dollars to fund additional family subsidies, offer restart grants for closed programs, and offer start-up expansion grants areas where there is a larger need for child care than there are available spaces. These funds will be distributed from the state’s 30+ child care resource and referral agencies.

According to the deputy commissioner of the state’s Office of Children and Family Services, Janice Molnar, the CARES Act offered “very important resources, but hardly enough” to support the various needs of both parents and providers. Providers “don’t have enough children to open a classroom, there is not enough tuition to cover costs of salaries, and at the same time there is an increased need to serve more children.” New York has yet to target the remainder of its CARES dollars “because there are so many priorities and so many needs, it is almost impossible to prioritize in a way that is fair.”

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North Carolina

Child care in North Carolina is an essential service. North Carolina received $118 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act, and the state anticipates the funds will last through July. The state is spending most of their funding from the CARES Act on providing grants to child care providers to continue operations if they have temporarily closed or have decreased enrollment (70%), and for increasing payment rates to providers who are open and caring for children of frontline and essential workers (25%). All providers, open or closed, have received subsidy stabilization support for April and May, and will continue to receive support through June. Pre-kindergarten programs were funded at pre-COVID levels, and child care providers automatically received operational grants scaled according to the provider’s quality, size, and percent of children who receive subsidies. North Carolina plans to offer child care recovery grants throughout the month of July, has launched a hotline for families to access enhanced child care referrals, and continues to use funds for cleaning, sanitation, and supplies.

Beyond its supplemental CARES dollars, North Carolina repurposed over $60 million from existing CCDBG funding to support child care for essential workers, supporting providers through continued and increased payments, and covering parent copayments for April, May, and June. It is important to note that North Carolina provided child care teachers bonuses of $950 per month and support staff bonuses of $525 per month. For the month of April, these bonuses brought the average monthly salary of child care workers to $2,860, while the average monthly salary of child care workers receiving unemployment remained higher at $3,553. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services cites this gap as a barrier to retaining child care workers.

North Carolina anticipates needing an additional infusion of $118 million (equal to the amount they received in the CARES Act) to continue these activities over the next six months. Susan Perry, chief deputy secretary at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, explained the state will need additional funding to the tune of $75 million per month for at least three to five months after the summer to “help [programs] get on their feet.” The state is very concerned about permanently losing many child care programs that are closed and would like to direct funds to entice providers to reopen and to attract staff and teachers back into the workforce through increased salaries and benefits. The state also believes that many of the flexibilities and strategies provided in the CARES Act would be useful if extended.

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Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services announced it will use its $50 million in supplemental funds from the CARES Act to establish a program to help families receive child care as they seek employment. The new funds will allow families seeking employment to receive up to 60 days of child care as they try to reenter the workforce after COVID-19. Families do not have to meet typical eligibility requirements for this new program, and parents can send their children to any child care provider licensed and contracted to accept subsidies, and the money will be allocated directly to those providers.

By the beginning of May, nearly a third of the state’s 3,000 home- and center-based providers were temporarily closed. On May 1 the state launched the Kith.care program which provides emergency child care funding for the children of health care professionals. Instead of funding existing licensed providers, Kith.care offers a $25 per day per child reimbursement to family members caring for the children of health care professionals at home. The family member must first receive online CPR training and pass a background check to qualify for the program. Oklahoma child care associations have publicly denounced Kith.care, arguing that licensed providers have readily available spots for the children of health care professionals and that this divergence of funds away from current providers threatens the long-term sustainability of the state’s child care system.

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Oregon

Oregon received $38.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. The state has directed families for whom child care is not necessary to keep their children at home, and has closed all child care facilities except those operating as an Emergency Child Care Facility. These emergency programs must prioritize care for essential workers, and the state has allowed for expedited training and background checks for staff. To assist essential working parents, the state has expanded access to Emergency Child Care by eliminating copays and increasing the income eligibility limits from 185% the federal poverty level to 250% (or $54,300 for a family of four).

Further, Oregon is using funds to continue to support its emergency child care programs. In early May, the state initiated the first phase of a multi-phase Emergency Child Care grant. The first phase allocates $8 million of the state’s supplemental CCDBG CARES dollars to Emergency Child Care providers. Providers may receive a base amount of CARES Act dollars based on whether they are family- or center-based, and may receive additional bonuses if they provide weekend or overnight care.

The Oregon Early Learning Division has approved $10 million in Emergency Child Care grants for providers who remain open in phase two. Amounts for these grants will vary by provider type, and range from $700 to $9,360. The application process will be open from June 22 through July 10. These funds are intended to support providers in covering the increased costs of reopening, including to implement safety and health practices that require more staff, time, and resources. Programs that received grants under Phase 1 are not eligible for Phase 2 grants. Grants may cover allowable costs such as paying lease or mortgages, utilities, insurance, food and supplies, staff compensation and benefits, and other reasonable reopening costs.

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Nebraska

Nebraska received $20 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through CARES Act. The state distributes these dollars through three grants supporting providers.

Nebraska’s Child Care Relief Fund offers $1,000 grants to sustain family and center-based providers that remain open. Private child care foundations funded 800 of the 1,000 received grant applications and the state will use CARES Act dollars to fund remaining applications.

Many of the state’s providers have remained open but are required to reduce attendance sizes. To help providers meet the costs of reduced attendance, Nebraska also offers one-time Child Care Stabilization grants of $3,500 for family providers and $5,500 for centers. Alternatively, providers that have closed temporarily are eligible for a one-time Incentive to Reopen Child Care Programs grant that serves to support a program’s reopening costs. Family providers may receive $2,000 and child care centers may receive $3,000 as long as they commit to reopen within 30 days.

The Nebraska state government has a strong relationship with private child care organizations. The two coordinated to quickly develop an online database that refers essential workers to providers with open spots. The state plans to use CARES Act dollars to improve the network’s data collection process and merge the database with the existing referral system for the future.

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Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania received $106.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funds through the CARES Act. Child care centers were mandated to close, and may seek an emergency waiver if they wish to remain open and serve essential service worker families. Home-based child care programs–family child care home program and group child care home programs in Pennsylvania–were not included in mandated closures and can remain open without an emergency waiver. Pennsylvania will pay child care subsidy reimbursements through May 2020 based on enrollment at the time of a program’s closure. Pennsylvania has not indicated how they anticipate expending their CARES Act allocation.

South Carolina

South Carolina received $63.7 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. The state is offering child care assistance for parents who have been deemed essential and are still working during the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to qualify, parents must be currently working at an essential business or government agency, in need of child care to continue to work, must complete a child care application. Parents do not have to meet any income guidelines for this time-limited program.

South Carolina is also offering one-time cleaning grants to providers to cover additional cleaning and sanitation costs during this time, which may allow them to reopen or to stay open and safely care for children. Centers can apply for a $600 stipend, and family and group homes are eligible for $300. The state has not announced how it plans to spend the remainder of CARES Act funds.

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Tennessee

Tennessee received an additional $82.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funds in the CARES Act. The state announced they will spend funds on an Essential Employee Child Care Payment Assistance Program, a new category of child care assistance intended to support working parents who are on the frontlines or categorized as essential during the coronavirus. Parents are not subject to income requirements, and the program will last until mid-August.

The state continues to cover subsidy payments at enhanced rates, based on enrollment rather than attendance, for all children in the Child Care Payment Assistance Program through June 30. Between July and August, providers that remain closed will no longer receive these payments. Tennessee recognizes that families are struggling to pay child care rates that are higher than the state reimbursement rate. In order to prevent families from losing their child care spot due to this rate difference, the state announced Disaster/Emergency Response and Recovery Operations Cost Grants. Providers may receive payments in intervals of two weeks or 30 days for any operational costs associated with opening during the pandemic and any differences between the provider’s rate and the maximum state subsidy rate.

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Utah

Utah received $40.4 million in additional CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. Most of this funding will be used by the state to support child care providers who remain open, and the caregivers who remain working, through COVID-19. Specifically, the state created a Child Care Operations Grant program that will provide child care business owners with the financial means to stay open and operating during the pandemic, despite lower enrollment and higher operating costs. Utah will continue paying providers who have temporarily closed or have lower enrollment and will also cover all family copayments for those receiving subsidies. Additionally, eligibility for state child care subsidies was increased from 60% of the state median income to the federal maximum of 85% ($64,941 for a family of four).

The state has seen 40% of its licensed home- and center-based providers close. Utah is concerned that the programs who are temporarily closed may permanently go out of business, and is considering long-term impacts this might have on the child care industry broadly. While the state currently does not have plans to address this scenario, they are exploring how to minimize the long-term fiscal impact on providers.

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Virginia

Through the CARES Act, Virginia received $70.8 million in supplemental CCDBG funding. Virginia obligated all of its CARES Act funding. First, the state provides incentive grants to child care providers that are open, available through the end of June. Licensed home- and center-based providers, and unlicensed providers that are approved subsidy vendors, are eligible to receive an amount each week equal to $25 multiplied by half the provider’s licensed capacity. Because this grant calculates funding based on capacity, Virginia intends to use it to support providers through periods of low-attendance. The state also covers co-payments through June for low-income, working families who receive federal child care subsidy dollars. Additionally, the state provides funding for child care providers that participate in the federal subsidy program, but have had to close. This will help ensure they are ready to welcome children back as soon as this crisis has passed.

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Washington

In Washington, child care businesses and workers are deemed essential and exempt from the “Stay Home, Stay Healthy” order. The state received $58.6 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act and plans to fully obligate this funding by the end of June.

The state is using some funds to waive family copayments for April, May, and June. Licensed providers are temporarily allowed to claim subsidy payments based on enrollment rather than attendance from March 16 through June 30, regardless of if the provider has temporarily closed or is still open. The state is exploring options for additional funding to support providers who are staying open.

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Wyoming

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U.S. Territories:

U.S. Virgin Islands

The U.S. Virgin Islands have identified child care as an essential service. The territory anticipates the additional CCDBG funds provided in the CARES Act will last through July. These funds are being split among three core activities: paying for either direct grants to providers (33%), or continuing subsidy payments to providers (34%), to ensure their continuing operations in the event they have closed or have decreased enrollment, and providing sanitation, cleaning supplies, or related activities (33%). They would like to provide more communication through webinars and a newsletter and would appreciate additional guidance from agencies in responding to the coronavirus.

Guam

Guam received $6.4 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act. On May 20, Rep. Michael San Nicolas (D-GU) reported that he has received complaints that providers are not receiving this funding. San Nicolas has urged the state government to make this funding available.

Puerto Rico

Puerto Rico received $31 million in supplemental CCDBG funding through the CARES Act.

On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, was signed into law, including $3.5 billion in supplemental appropriations for the Child Care and Development Block Grant to prevent, prepare for, and respond to the coronavirus. This funding represents a 60% increase in total discretionary appropriations for fiscal year 2020, which amounts to $9.326 billion.

In general, this funding is to be administered through the CCDBG program, and therefore, the underlying program requirements apply. However, as we’ve previously detailed, Congress included additional flexibility for states to use the supplemental funds to support families currently in the greatest need, specifically essential workers with children, and so programs can access funding to respond to the difficulties caused by COVID-19.

This flexibility is important to respond to the current crisis: a recent survey conducted by Morning Consult for the Bipartisan Policy Center found that 60% of providers are temporarily closed, and nearly two-thirds of parents who still need child care are having difficulty finding it. Further, about half of parents surveyed said they are concerned their provider would no longer be open when they are able to return to work and their child would need care. A survey by the National Association for the Education of Young Children of providers found these concerns are justified: just 11% of providers believed they could survive the crisis without financial support.

By applying these additional flexibilities to the funds provided in the CARES Act, Congress afforded states greater leeway in quickly spending the money and supporting both families and child care providers throughout this crisis. Most states have responded by spending a majority of supplemental funds on two goals in line with the CARES Act: supporting the dual needs of frontline workers and child care providers during the crisis, and covering ongoing operational costs of providers that are currently closed to ensure the supply remains intact, and child care businesses can re-open once the crisis begins to pass.

At the same time, the flexibility and latitude Congress provided means states have taken a variety of approaches in how they are addressing these broad priorities. To better understand how states are using their CARES Act funds for child care, BPC gathered information from a majority of states, including direct stories from several about their use of funds. These plans and stories are detailed on the map below.

As of May 1, BPC spoke directly with 12 states about their use of funds. Half had obligated all of their CARES Act funds by May 1, and several who haven’t plan to reserve funds for the reopening period. Six states plan to spend all their supplemental funds by July, and two more plan to spend all funds by September. Five are also using existing CCDBG funds to address the ongoing child care needs caused by the coronavirus.

In looking ahead, not one state we spoke with said the CARES Act funds would be sufficient in adequately responding to the child care needs of families and providers while the impacts of the coronavirus are still present. When thinking about the future supply and demand for child care, states identified several areas where additional federal funding would be necessary. Specifically, many states we spoke with would like to do more to stabilize the child care supply by providing assistance throughout the recovery period for programs, and funding to encourage staff and teachers to return to work. States are concerned that programs will be unable to reopen, and if they are, will not have the staff necessary to be fully operational.

These concerns, if they become reality, would have devastating impacts for states when attempting to reopen their economies and re-engage the broader workforce. If child care is not available when governors reopen other businesses, the economy will struggle to rebound.

The various methods states have deployed to address the short- and long-term issues caused by COVID-19 provide Congress with information about how to continue supporting child care throughout the crisis and into the future. States are using funding to provide child care to frontline workers and to keep providers open. There is a clear—and unmet—need to stabilize the child care industry into the future, and while a variety of methods have been used by states, the underlying goals of states remain the same: supporting the viability of the child care industry to ensure businesses will be able to re-open to serve working parents once the economy starts to rebound and the crisis begins to pass.

In future aid and recovery packages, Congress could recognize these goals and provide additional assistance to states to support the child care industry, which would have tremendous benefits on the economy, workforce, and overall health and wellbeing of children and families.

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Alaska

Massachusetts

California

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Montana

South Dakota

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Alabama

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New Hampshire

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Nevada

New York

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Oregon

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Utah

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Wyoming

U.S. Territories:

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