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Q&A
Factors contributing to increased demand for low-income child care vouchers
0:37:07
·
90 sec
Commissioner Jess Dannhauser explains the reasons behind the significant increase in demand for low-income child care vouchers in recent years. He highlights the growth of the program and its success in serving more families.
- The increase is attributed to greater investments at both city and state levels.
- Federal pandemic relief funds were available for rollover, contributing to program expansion.
- Changes in work rules led to fewer families enrolling in childcare through cash assistance, allowing more vouchers for others.
- The program cleared a waitlist of 35,000 children and now serves nearly 70,000 children.
- Dannhauser expresses satisfaction with maintaining these gains despite funding challenges.
Althea Stevens
0:37:07
Many families in the city relies on childcare vouchers to provide quality care for their children.
0:37:12
In recent years ACS has seen a large increase in demand for low income vouchers.
0:37:17
What does ACS attribute the increase in voucher demand for?
Jess Dannhauser
0:37:22
For so many years there wasn't funding, right?
0:37:24
This has actually been a period of extraordinary and unprecedented growth in the program.
0:37:31
There's a few reasons for that.
0:37:33
One has been increasing investment at both the city and the state levels.
0:37:37
The other is there was federal dollars that could be rolled over that were pandemic dollars that we relied on for some time.
0:37:47
And there was a smaller than typical population of families who enrolled in childcare through cash assistance because of changes in the work rules.
0:37:57
As those things are changing, again, this plan means that more children will be in childcare this time next year as this year, because we expect that the mandated cash enrollment will grow significantly and we'll be able to maintain the vast majority of children currently enrolled.
0:38:16
But this was an opportunity that was rare.
0:38:20
When we started in 2022, had a wait list of 35,000 children.
0:38:25
Not only did we clear that, we enrolled nearly 70,000 children at this point.
0:38:31
So it's been a huge success.
0:38:34
And you know we are glad that we're able to maintain these gains.