The First Five Year Fund (FFYF) released a new collection of fact sheets that showcase how the Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) positively affects families and children in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. CCDBG provides federal funding to states for child care subsidies to low-income families with children under the age of 13. FFYF found that while 6.3 million children aged five and younger are eligible, fewer than 840,000 children receive funding, only about 13%. The number varies by state, with only 5% in D.C. to 35% in Tennessee of the children ages five and under that are served. CCDBG provides much-needed help to families to provide childcare; nationally, the copayments for a three-person family earning $30,000 a year would pay $0 to $477 per month, with the median copayment being only $10. For families that do not receive subsidies, childcare costs rise drastically, ranging from $607 in Mississippi to $2,029 in Massachusetts.
By Kylie Schmerbach, Policy Intern
