Economy

Study: California Child Care Cuts Are Impacting Low-Income Parents

KPBS | By Max Pringle / Capital Public Radio

Published November 18, 2013 at 11:59 AM PST

This story was published more than 11 years ago.

The Budget Project study said funding cuts since the start of the Great Recession in 2007-08, have gutted programs like CalWORKs child care.

Cuts to California Childcare Services Hurt Poor says New Report

The California Budget Project has released a report detailing the effects of cuts to state child care and early education programs. The report says the state has cut child care and preschool services nearly 40 percent in the past six years.

“The funding has decreased by about 40 percent,” said Hope Richardson, who co-authored the report. “That’s translated into over 100,000 spaces for children in the system that have been lost.”

The report estimates that child care expenses can amount to nearly half of household expenses for low-income families. Richardson said the lack of low-cost child care can also hinder people looking for work.

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“Often it can help parents who are searching for a job if they know that they’re able to have their child taken care of and that that will be affordable,” she said.

Among possible solutions, the report recommends repealing the fee parents must pay for part-day state preschool and increasing funding to help eligible parents who are on state child care waiting lists.