Nearly every child in Hawai驶i lives in a community that lacks adequate licensed childcare, with access rates falling far behind the national average, according to recent reports from the Center for American Progress.聽

Challenges finding affordable childcare have also worsened for some families this year as they face delays with receiving state subsidies reducing the costs of preschool. 

聽measure the percentage of kids in every state who live in childcare deserts 鈥� communities where at least three kids are vying for a single seat in a licensed program. These programs include options like public or private preschools, group childcare homes and Head Start, said Hailey Gibbs, associate director of early childhood policy at the Center for American Progress.聽

In 鈥嬧�婬awai驶i, 96% of kids live in these deserts 鈥� more than double the national average. Of these kids, 86% live in communities with no supply of licensed childcare providers at all, according to the Center for American Progress report.聽

The data highlights the need for greater investments in childcare programs, including more support for staff, Gibbs said.  mean that some programs that are already in high demand may need to cut back on the number of students they serve, she said. 

鈥淧rovider financial viability is essential to standing up a childcare system that can actually meet demand,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou really need to be able to attract educators into the field.鈥澛�

The study does not include unlicensed sources of care, such as grandparents, neighbors and , which allow kids to learn alongside their family members, said Malia Tsuchiya, early childhood policy and advocacy coordinator at Hawai驶i Children Action鈥檚 Network. 

Even taking these options into account, she said, families need more access to early learning programs. The state has aggressively expanded its public preschool programs in recent years, adding more than 1,800 seats in traditional public and charter schools since 2022. But the capacity of private childcare providers has fallen by roughly 950 seats in the same time period, according to a  from the Department of Human Services and Executive Office on Early Learning. 

Hawai驶i鈥檚 workforce of early educators shrank during the pandemic and never recovered, Tsuchiya said, leading some providers to close some classrooms and reduce their enrollment.聽

鈥淲e鈥檙e blessed to have multi-generational families and aunties, uncles, cousins, grandmas that are willing to step in and help supplement childcare,鈥� Tsuchiya said. 鈥淏ut do they have a choice?鈥� 

State Aid On Its Way?

For some families, securing childcare has only become harder to navigate as they face delays with receiving state tuition subsidies. 

Operating under the Department of Human Services, Preschool Open Doors provides tuition subsidies for young children whose families make up to 500% of the federal poverty level. The maximum subsidy ranges from $1,200 to $1,500 a month. 

Typically, the application window opens near the  to give the department time to process families鈥� applications before the payment period begins on July 1. This year, the application opened on , giving the department just over a month before families expected their subsidies to kick in. Parents need to reapply for the subsidy every year. 

The applications opened later than usual because the Department of Human Services needed to update its administrative rules expanding Preschool Open Door鈥檚 age eligibility to 2-year-olds. The department was initially expected to expand the program to 2-year-olds back in January, but it instructed families to  applying at the time to create more time for the rule change. 

As of last week, the program received over 6,100 applications and had processed 1,282. Staff process 10 to 15 applications a day, Joseph Campos II, director of the Hawai驶i Department of Human Services, said in an emailed statement. The department is exploring strategies to reduce the backlog, he said, adding that wait times are longer than usual because of the high number of submissions the department received as soon as applications opened in May.聽

But the delayed release date has left families scrambling for answers. 

Parent Christine Russo said she submitted an application for her twin daughters the morning of May 29, hoping an early submission would secure a quick response time from Preschool Open Doors. But more than a month later, she doesn鈥檛 know if her daughters qualify for the program 鈥� and the subsidy she was receiving through June has stopped.聽

Last year, Russo鈥檚 daughters qualified for Preschool Open Doors, meaning that she paid only $28 a month for their preschool tuition. But the program year ended on June 30, meaning that Russo is now covering the full costs of tuition for July 鈥� over $2,700 for both girls.聽

Russo said she doesn鈥檛 want to pull her daughters out of preschool, since it would mean losing her deposit and two spots that are in high demand. Russo lives in 驶Ewa Beach, a community with a scarce licensed childcare supply, according to the .

Expecting to cover the full costs of preschool this month, Russo is worried what will happen if the tuition payments don鈥檛 kick by August. Earlier this week, she learned her application is being processed, but she鈥檚 still waiting to hear if her daughters qualify for the subsidy.聽

鈥淢y anticipation was if they open this late, they鈥檝e got it under control,鈥� Russo said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 not looking good at all.鈥� 

The Department of Human Services will retroactively issue tuition subsidies dating back to the date of children鈥檚 preschool enrollment or families鈥� application, whichever came later, Campos said. Families who applied for July benefits and enrolled their children in preschool will receive subsidies for the full month if their application is approved, he said.聽

Even with the reassurance of tuition backpay, some families and providers are stuck in limbo. 

At Seagull Schools, which offers early learning programs at six O驶ahu sites, some parents have decided to withdraw their children for the month of July because their tuition benefits haven鈥檛 come through, said Chief Executive Officer Megan McCorriston. Other families who are new to the school are holding off enrolling their children until they know they can qualify for the subsidies, she said. 

It鈥檚 a difficult situation for working parents, she said, and it also puts more stress on providers. Seagull Schools will hold seats for families who are waiting to hear back from Preschool Open Doors, she said, but that means some spots remain unfilled for two to three months at a time. 

鈥淚t鈥檚 sort of a wait and see situation,鈥� she said. 

This story was originally published by . Civil Beat鈥檚 education reporting is supported by a grant from Chamberlin Family Philanthropy, and 鈥淒ata Dive鈥� is supported in part by the Will J. Reid Foundation.

Olympic track and field star Allyson Felix is helping moms vote in this election.

Felix, who has been an outspoken advocate for parents, is partnering with the nonpartisan organization Chamber of Mothers to raise awareness for child care support available to parents voting in North Carolina, New York and Los Angeles this election cycle. This summer, Felix secured the first Olympic child care center.

In North Carolina, Felix and Chamber of Mothers are promoting a program through the nonprofit Politisit that will of child care for parents heading to the polls. Parents just have to fill out a with information on what care they will need and how much it will cost. In western North Carolina, where Hurricane Helene caused massive destruction at the end of September, Politisit will reimburse up to a full day of care.

In Los Angeles, Brella, a child care center known for its flexible hours, will be offering for kids 3 months to 6 years of age. Similarly, in New York City and Westchester, will offer up to a full day of free care to caregivers who are voting.

, a marketplace for parents to find flexible child care in California, and , a platform for parents to find babysitters in New York, are also each donating $10,000 in child care services that parents can access by signing up through Politisit.

 is now also available for caregivers who want to book free care though Politisit and its partners. It includes additional free spots in Southern California, San Francisco, Houston, Chicago, New York, Brooklyn, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

鈥淭his election, you don’t have to choose between voting and motherhood,鈥� Felix said in a statement. 鈥淭his election, you can do both.鈥�

Caregivers, and especially single mothers, are one of the in the country. Many say they feel 鈥渄efeated or that their vote doesn鈥檛 make a difference,鈥� said Erin Erenberg, the CEO and founder of Chamber of Mothers. Others cite the challenges of standing in potentially long lines with kids or not being able to secure care as barriers that have kept them from the ballot box.

But this election cycle, when candidates have spoken about caregiving more than ever, efforts have ramped up to help parents take part in a consequential election.

This story was originally published by .

More than childcare providers across every county of New York were  of the  of federal dollars that President Joe Biden鈥檚  injected into the industry. Childcare providers reported using the money to cover rent or pay worker wages, sustaining care for about 676,000 kids in the state.

鈥淭hat helped us keep the doors open,鈥� said Victor Vargas, a former teacher who operates a daycare out of his home in the South Bronx. His daycare, which has eight staff, benefitted from stabilization grants from the federal government as well as a workforce retention grant that the state set up using federal funds.

But the federal money ran out last September, leaving providers struggling with increasingly thin margins between their expenses and what parents can afford or state childcare subsidies will cover. Over the past year, 44 percent of New York childcare providers have raised tuition, and a third have lost staff, according to a new  from The Century Foundation, a liberal think tank, based on surveys and federal data.

New York has increased its own investment in the childcare sector in recent years, largely in the form of  to parents and tax credits to providers, but lawmakers and advocates have called for more funding 鈥� especially to increase the wages of the industry鈥檚 poorly paid workforce. 

This year, New York childcare workers are seeing a pay cut after the state budget delivered a lower wage boost to the industry than last year.

鈥淭he sector is completely flailing right now,鈥� said state Senator Jabari Brisport, who chairs the chamber鈥檚 Committee on Children and Families and  that the state fund universal childcare.

Twelve percent of New York childcare workers live below the federal poverty level, compared to 5 percent of all workers in the state. The industry鈥檚 median wage is , making for some of the lowest paid workers in the state.

鈥淵ou expect us to be able to hire staff, keep them here, and have them want to be here 鈥� because they鈥檙e getting what exactly as a reward? It鈥檚 not money,鈥� said Vargas, 鈥渂ecause we can鈥檛 compete with anyone else. It鈥檚 hard for us to be able to stay in the market.鈥�

The industry was already shedding workers when the federal funding cliff hit. According to The Century Foundation鈥檚 analysis of federal , employment in New York鈥檚 childcare industry fell by 32 percent between 2019 and 2023. (That data excludes preschool teachers and teaching assistants.)

鈥淚n other sectors, like retail and food services, wages have gone up,鈥� said Julie Kashen, the director for women鈥檚 economic justice at The Century Foundation and the report鈥檚 lead author. 鈥淓ven if they train, and love working with children, people can make more money selling coffee, so they are leaving the childcare sector to do that. That means that eventually programs are going to shut down.鈥�

The Century Foundation had previously warned that the September 2023 funding cutoff could lead 70,000 programs to close across the country. Some congressional Democrats and the White House pushed for a  of childcare funding to stave off the crisis, but it did not garner the votes to pass.

One year after the cutoff, the most scenarios haven鈥檛 yet come to pass, the think tank acknowledged in the report published Wednesday. But states are seeing a 鈥渄ownward spiral,鈥� with providers raising prices in order to stay open and struggling to find or retain workers.

Governor Kathy Hochul, who dubs herself the state鈥檚 鈥渇irst mom governor,鈥� has called affordable childcare a key priority. In 2022, she  the state to spend $7 billion on childcare over the four years of her term.

鈥淎s a mother forced to leave her job because of the lack of accessible childcare, I am proud of the work we have done with Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins and Speaker Heastie to make this historic investment and the opportunities it will provide for working parents,鈥� Hochul said at the time.

That pledge was 鈥渟ignificant and welcome,鈥� said Dede Hill, the director of policy for the Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy. Thanks to recent expansions of the program, more than half of children in New York are now eligible for the childcare subsidies 鈥� though  actually receive them.

鈥淯nfortunately, there is a real danger that the state鈥檚 failure to invest in the workforce is going to threaten the success of all of these other historic investments on the side of childcare assistance,鈥� said Hill. 鈥淵ou can expand eligibility for tens of thousands of families, as the state has done, but that means nothing to a family if they can鈥檛 find a spot for their child in a program because there are not enough workers.鈥�

Statewide, the number of slots that childcare providers are approved to offer is  as it was in 2021. Some parts of the state, especially poorer and rural areas, have lost capacity, while others have seen an increase. But many providers are operating below their capacity. In a March 2023 , 1,600 providers reported that they had nearly 30,000 licensed slots they couldn鈥檛 fill due to staffing shortages.

In 2023, Hochul and the state legislature agreed to spend $500 million in discretionary federal pandemic relief funds to provide  of up to $3,000 to 110,000 child care workers across the state. This spring, Hochul and lawmakers allocated the unspent remaining portion of those funds for a smaller bonus.

According to the governor鈥檚 office, more than 80,000 childcare workers received a combined bonus of more than $5,000 over the past two years. 鈥淲e鈥檙e committed to strengthening child care programs, growing the workforce and continuing to expand access affordable child care for New Yorkers,鈥� the office said in a statement.

Advocates had called on the state to invest its own money in the workforce and set up a $2 billion 鈥淐hild Care Compensation Fund鈥� in this year鈥檚 state budget.

The proposal was modeled after a similar program in Washington, dc, that provided $12,000 supplements to childcare worker salaries. A Cornell University  found that it would cost nearly $800 million to bring childcare workers to a minimum wage of $23.55 an hour 鈥� the median entry-level wage for preschool and kindergarten teachers in New York.

Both the Senate and the Assembly budget proposals included a smaller version of the fund in the budget, but Hochul rejected it outright.

鈥淪he was completely unwilling to commit new state dollars to fund this proposal. She was solely focused on finding ways to recycle the federal money and leave it at that,鈥� said Brisport.

This story originally appeared in New York Focus, a nonprofit news publication investigating power in New York. Sign up for their

One-third of parents recently surveyed by reported their child care costs rose over the past year, following the expiration of the first batch of pandemic-era child care funding. Among parents of kids under age 5, that number is even higher (37%). 

Just over half of parents with very young children reported dealing with at least one significant challenge with child care over the past year, including unexpected provider closures and trouble finding child care options.

鈥淭his is all a result of this decade of disinvestment,鈥� said Melissa Boteach, the center鈥檚 vice president for Income Security and Child Care/Early Learning. 鈥淎nd the pandemic laid bare and exacerbated that, but ultimately to solve the problem we need not just a patchwork to help address the cliff that we鈥檙e about to drive off of, but long-term and sustained, robust public funding that actually builds a child care system that serves families and the economy.鈥�

The expiring funds were part of the 2021 , a $1.9 trillion economic stimulus package, which included roughly $39 billion in direct support for child care relief. 

Marking the largest investment since World War II, the funding was split into two buckets: The first $24 billion primarily went to providers to help them stay afloat during and after the COVID shutdowns and expired last September. On Monday, the remaining $15 billion expired, which provided additional funding to the existing Child Care and Development Block Grant program, the primary federal grant program that allocates flexible funding to states, allowing them to provide subsidized child care to low-income families with children under 13.

This funding helped to stabilize 220,000 child care programs, impacting 10 million children and over a million families, according to a of federal data by the National Women鈥檚 Law Center and The organizations also found that 29% of families faced higher tuition in the month after the first expiration of funding last September, with to affordable care.

This week鈥檚 deadline in particular will hit states鈥� child care systems, according to Boteach, who said, 鈥淓ven in anticipation of this money expiring, some states are starting to roll back those improvements, which again means that 鈥� particularly for families eligible for a subsidy 鈥� they’re going to see anything from growing wait lists to higher co-pays to a shrinking supply, because providers aren鈥檛 getting reimbursed at the rate needed to afford to stay in business.鈥�

Susan Gale Perry, CEO of , described the situation in Nevada, where eligibility for subsidized child care programs is returning to pre-pandemic criteria as relief funds wind down. 鈥淸This] means that families who have the least are going to need to be paying more for child care,鈥� she said.

Across the country, she added, states were able to implement creative solutions with the help of pandemic relief revenue. 鈥淭he bright spots that we’re seeing are states that are continuing to pick up some of those great ideas and move forward with them using state funds. So we know we need a solution that includes a combination of federal and state and private and parent fees to really make child care work the way it needs to for this country.鈥�

The latest survey was administered to better understand the ongoing impact of these expirations. It was designed by the Law Center and administered by Morning Consult between Sept. 13 and 15, reaching 4,443 adults nationally, 970 of whom are parents with children 13 years old or younger and 413 of whom have kids 5 or younger. The margin of error is plus or minus 1.5% and larger for subgroups. 

Over one-third of parents surveyed reported some knowledge of the expiring funds and a majority of parents (61%) expressed concern about Monday鈥檚 deadline. Black parents were particularly impacted, with 71% reporting they are very or somewhat concerned.

A plurality of parents (42%) said that candidates running for office are not talking enough about the issue of child care. 

鈥淭his is a very big-line item in families鈥� budgets,鈥� Boteach said, 鈥渁nd if they鈥檙e not hearing from candidates about what their specific plans are, that鈥檚 a liability for those candidates.鈥� 

Despite vastly differing views about how to make parenthood more affordable in this year鈥檚 presidential race, both Vice President Kamala Harris and Republican vice president candidate JD Vance have supported of the Child Tax Credit. Harris鈥檚 economic agenda includes a proposal to raise the credit to as much as $3,600 and $6,000 in a child鈥檚 first year. Vance said he wants to raise the credit to $5,000 but opposes government spending on child care, arguing children benefit from having a parent at home with them.

Boteach noted that yesterday鈥檚 funding dropoff comes amid rising wages nationally for low-paid sectors. To remain competitive, child care employers would need to raise wages, even as they lose funding, saddling parents with the increased costs, she said. 

Ultimately, she noted, the costs of the 鈥渂roken market鈥� of child care 鈥渁re borne entirely by parents 鈥� in the form of higher fees 鈥� and providers 鈥� in the form of poverty wages.鈥� 

And often it鈥檚 women in the workforce who pay the ultimate price, she added: 鈥淲omen are 90% of the early education workforce, and it’s disproportionately Black, brown and immigrant women. Women are [also] the ones who are more likely to be pushed out of the labor market when they can’t find affordable child care options.鈥�