KSHB 41 News reporter Braden Bates covers parts of Jackson County, Missouri, including Lee's Summit. Send Braden a story idea by e-mail.
A budget proposal in the Missouri legislature would cut the childcare subsidy program by $51 million.
The proposed cuts have some local families and child care providers are on edge as the bill passed through the budget committee and now goes to the state house floor.
Angela True adopted her two grandchildren and enrolled them at the Little Learning Lodge in Lee's Summit. Both of the kids get their full tuition paid for through the subsidy program.
"If I didn't have child subsidy help, I wouldn't be able to work. It's too expensive," True said.
True qualified for the full amount because of the student's history and adoption status. Other students who fall in the low-income range could only get partial relief.
"I couldn't afford daycare," True said. "I mean there's just no way, like two children probably $450 a week. That's $1,800 a month. I can't. I make $2,800 a month. I got to pay rent. I got to pay utilities. I got to buy food. I don’t get any other assistance. Just subsidy assistance."
State legislators said the proposed budget cuts are designed to ensure the state does not pay 100% of tuition on top of additional incentive funding.
A scenario laid out by House Budget Chair Dirk Deaton, (R-Seneca), asked if students who get 100% of their tuition paid, should they also get the extra funding from state incentives.
"In that instance, state government's paying more than a private pay individual would be paying for the same service to that provider," Deaton said.
Some of those incentive funds include bonuses for children with special needs and accredited schools.
At a February budget meeting, lawmakers and representatives from the Missouri Elementary and Secondary Education Department said the incentives were designed when students got less that 100% tuition.
Casey Hanson is the Deputy Director of Kids Win Missouri. She said the incentives offer a lot of benefits.
"Those are really needed to care for those special populations," she said. "I think, similarly with accreditation, if you want higher quality, which is really what we want in this state, providers aren't able to achieve that necessarily without that extra bump," said Hanson
She acknowledged a possible need to look at how the program operates, but not at the expense of its budget.
"I do think we need to be open to conversations about restructuring the program and what that could look like," Hanson said. "I think there's a number of different combinations of routes that the General Assembly could take to do that. What we don't want to talk about, and what's a non-starter, is cutting $51 million from a program like this."
Michelle LaPlant owns and runs the Little Learning Lodge and does not receive those added incentives. She said between 35% and 45% of her students receive the subsidy, and she fears the proposed cuts could bring problems for their families.
"It just seems like this is like a backhanded way for them to still not cover childcare," LaPlant said.
LaPlant pushed back on the idea that the families relying on subsidies are not deserving of the help.
"I see a lot of comments and memes and things, these parents are not lazy, nonworking people that are mooching off of society," LaPlant said."They're working and they're trying, they're going to school, they're trying to better themselves and do right by them and their kids so that their kids have a better life."
True said her children's school has been essential to her ability to hold a stable job.
"They helped me eight-hours-a-day while I went to work to make a living for them," True said. "They're the ones who taught them everything."
On March 1, the subsidy program created a waitlist for the first time. Foster families will still automatically get the funds, but low-income families could be forced to wait.
Another change in the bill would be the way the child care centers are paid. In May, the centers were scheduled to switch to upfront payments at the beginning of the month, similar to how non-subsidy users pay.
However, the bill stated it would continue the current payment system with it based on the child's attendance.
"With subsidy, providers are paid in arrears after the services are rendered, a month after the services are rendered," said Hanson. "They're only paid for up to five absences. This just creates less financial stability for providers."
The budget proposal has passed through the House Budget Committee and will move to the House floor for discussion.
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