The emergency childcare money is scheduled to run out this week, affecting millions of families.
Congress’s $24 billion allocation for the pandemic expires on September 30. According to childcare providers, this may be disastrous for working families.
According to a new reporter from The Century Foundation, in Florida, 212,721 people are expected to lose their childcare, and 2,196 childcare programs are expected to close.
The federal funding allowed childcare providers to enroll more children and keep their doors open by covering personnel costs, rent, and utilities.
It’s a ripple effect that will then force parents to cut work hours or stay home to care for their children.
Katricia Hoggs is the Tampa Bay Area leader for Kinder Care. She said she’s not worried that they will close their locations, but she said prices will spike for parents after the funding runs out.
“I think it would affect us as much as it would nationally, but it could be catastrophic not just us but to everybody,” Hoggs said.
Jeannina Perez is a part of a grassroots organization called Momsrising. She explained this would only make things worse for the working parent.
“To the working parent in general, it puts your job at risk. Quite frankly, one of the things that we know, when there’s childcare breakdowns, it forces parents out of the workforce, and it impacts moms the most,” Perez said.
Perez explained that her group is pushing elected leaders to pass the Child Care Stabilization Act, which would extend the funding.
As financing runs out, childcare will become more expensive for parents, and hundreds of daycare centers will close.