child care

THE PROBLEM

In DC, two out of five poor adults are single with children. In order to participate in training programs and hold a steady job, low-income parents need safe, affordable and reliable child care. However, market-rate child care in the District is extremely expensive. Average annual child care costs range from $8,750 for a pre-school child to $12,000 a year for an infant.⁹

In many communities, DC families also face a shortage of child care providers for infants and toddlers, as well as for children with special needs. The shortage of quality infant and toddler care is particularly severe in DC’s low income communities – specifically Wards 5, 7, and 8.¹⁰

There is also a shortage of 24-hour child care. Parents working in jobs with nightshifts or very early hours—particularly in the hospitality and construction industries—may have difficulty staying employed without access to child care facilities that operate at non-traditional hours.

WHAT DC IS DOING NOW

DC has a generous child care subsidy program. The program provides vouchers to low-income working families to use at home- and center-based child care facilities. DC families with incomes up to 250 percent of the federal poverty line ($45,800 for a family of three) are eligible to participate in the program. Once families enter the program, they can continue to participate until their income reaches 300 percent of the poverty line ($54,900 for a family of three). More than 22,300 children participated in the District’s child care subsidy program in FY 2009.¹¹

While the District’s eligibility for subsidized child care is relatively generous, the reimbursement rates paid to child care service providers are not. Top-tier child care providers participating in the subsidy program are reimbursed at the 75th percentile of the 2004 market rate for childcare. Such low reimbursement rates make it harder for child care providers to hire qualified staff and to make needed upgrades to their programs.

LEARN MORE

• DC Action for Children
• Empower DC’s Child Care for All Campaign
• Pre-K for All DC

[9]http://osse.dc.gov/seo/frames.asp?doc=/seo/lib/seo/pdf/ensuring_a_vibrant_city_the_economic_impact_of_early_care_and_education_industry_in_the_district_of_columbia.pdf

[10] DC State Board of Education, “Birth to Three in the District of Columbia: A Needs Assessment,” (Washington: 2008).

[11] http://www.osse.dc.gov/seo/frames.asp?doc=/seo/lib/seo/pdf/ccdf_citizen_guide_2010-11.pdf