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 Mecklenburg County expanded eligibility for childcare subsidies this week to help more families with children under age 12 pay for childcare. The county allocated around $10.5 million in leftover coronavirus aid to allow greater access to childcare funding.
Janet Singerman, CEO of Childcare Resources (the organization that administers Mecklenburg County’s child care subsidy program), said “I think that Mecklenburg County has made this investment because they see the connection between county priorities and the role that early education plays in family’s economic well-being and our community's economic recovery.” Childcare Resources also receives funding from the state to help support the subsidies.
Parents making under 300% above the federal poverty line ($65,880 for a family of three) now qualify for childcare subsidies. In addition, the number of employment hours a parent needs to qualify was reduced from 30 hours to 22 hours per week. Families who qualify for the subsidy are responsible for paying 10% of their household income towards child care expenses as a co-payment, The rest of the cost is covered by the program.
Mecklenburg County estimates cost of childcare is $800 to $1,500 a month with the annual cost between $9,600 and $18,000. Before the expansion, Mecklenburg County spent about $20 million to help subsidize childcare costs for about 6,700 children as of April of this year. At least 700 additional children will benefit from the expanded subsidy program.
 “This helps us make childcare more affordable to families, which makes work more accessible to low income working families, and really supports economic opportunity, economic mobility and high quality early care and education for children,” Singerman said. “That impacts a child's life and lifelong success.”
See https://www.mecknc.gov/dss/children/Pages/ChildCare.aspx for additional info or contact Child Care Resources at 704 348-2181 or https://www.childcareresourcesinc.org/.
Dimple Ajmera
Charlotte City Council
[email protected]
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