Since April 1, no new families have been able to receive child care assistance or apply for the Kinship Care Program. Child care assistance helps low-income working families afford child care while the Kinship Care Program provides financial support to grandparents and other relatives who are raising children because they cannot live safely with their parents. In addition, the state raised income eligibility limits for child care assistance from 150 percent to 100 percent of the poverty level, causing 8,700 families to lose child care assistance each month.
In response to the proposed regulations which allow these cuts to go into effect, over 65 individuals across the state spoke out at a public hearing held by the Cabinet for Health and Family Services on May 21 and submitted written comments.
In its official response to our concerns for children, the Cabinet for Health and Family Services wrote that they lack the money in their budget to do the right thing.
We find that response inadequate, especially in light of Governor Beshear’s recent announcement that the state had a $71 million budget surplus and part of that will go into the Rainy Day Fund for emergencies. These cuts have already created rainy days for many families and children in Kentucky.
Take Action:
The regulations which allow the cuts to the Kinship Care and Child Care Assistance Programs will be on the agenda of the Administrative Regulation Review Subcommittee on August 5.
Please sign-on to a letter addressed to the members of this committee asking them to find the proposed regulations deficient and for Governor Beshear to restore the cuts immediately.
Click here to read and sign the letter as an individual or as an organization opposing these cuts.
We need your help so please sign-on by July 31 so we can include your name/organization in the letters to the committee members before the meeting on August 5.
Im a single mom who relies on the child care program. Without the program I will be forced to quit my job and live off welfare and I really don’t want to do that. The child care program is essential to single moms trying to make it on there own. I have friends and family who already has lost there child care due to budget cuts and they are devastated by this. Daycare is a $130 a week without any assistance. There is no way I can pay my bills and daycare(without assistance). I work at McDonald’s!!!! Please bring the child care program back before we lose everything we worked so hard for.
Sincerely, Danielle Williams
Save child care so many out there need this program!
I feel these cuts will have a disastrous on families already struggling to pay needed expenses so they can work.Parents have to work to provide for their families. You are going to be creating more”latch key” children who are left alone while parent works or children left with anyone willing to keep them no matter how unsafe the environment is.I think you definately need to rethink this plan.
My 3 grandchildren were removed from my daughters home and placed with me. There are 3 girls ages 5,4,and 2! I went down to get help to give the girls what they need and thay gave me 262.00 a month are you serious that doesn’t buy them anything. If I can’t afford to keep them they will be put in foster care and a lot of foster homes are not safe they are in it for the money!! so why not give it to the families and you know the children are taken care of? How much would it cost to put 3 girls in foster care? Why not help me so they can stay with me? I just think we need awhole new government why take from the kids? They have been through enough being taken from their mother!!! Let me know what I can do to help the kids get what they deserve!!
What is really bad is my granddaughters mother and father get more help from the government than I do and I am raising the girls!! The government doesn’t make any sence
What is really bad is my granddaughters mother and father get more help from the government than I do and I am raising the girls!! The government doesn’t make any sence. Why are they getting more help and I am raising the girls because they were removed from the home? I don’t understand the system at all!!