Photo courtesy of Children First/Communities in Schools of Buncombe County
Guest columnist Jodi Ford, outreach and engagement coordinator for Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County, explains why recent changes to the state’s legislature disadvantages programs in place for low-income families with children.
For working parents and their children, the child care subsidy program at Children First/CIS promotes and provides opportunities for success.
The program provides a voucher to help with the costs of early childcare, preschool and after-school learning programs for income-eligible parents who either work or attend school. This helps lower-wage parents stay in the workforce and simultaneously provides high-quality, dependable care and learning environments for their kids.
Recently, the North Carolina legislature changed the way the state determines eligibility for childcare subsidies, and thousands of low-income families across N.C., especially those with school-age children, are having to make difficult choices. The funding for nearly 12,000 school-age children will be removed, according to the N.C. General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division.
Under the old system, parents with children under 13 qualified for assistance if they earned less than 75 percent of the state median income — about $50,244 for a family of four. The new program is now tied to the federal poverty level, so now a family of four, with children under the age of 6, can’t make more than $47,700.
And it’s even stricter for children ages 6 to 12. The income for a family of four can’t exceed $31,721, which breaks down to about $2,643 a month before taxes. The state budget also increased the copay families need to contribute to receive the subsidy to 10 percent of their monthly income.
Local nonprofit Children First/CIS created a video highlighting these changes to the childcare subsidy program, and how it has affected one working mother, Kim Akbar, who spoke at the YWCA as part of Just Economics VOICES for Economic Justice. To find out how you can advocate for low-income working families, go to www.childrenfirstcisbc.org or click here for more information on child care subsidies.
About Children First/ CIS
Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a local nonprofit that provides programs to economically disadvantaged children & families. Children First’s mission is to empower children and their families to reach their full potential through advocacy, education and services. The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we’ve never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
Stretching the dollar: State changes to childcare subsidy eligibility disadvantage families
Guest columnist Jodi Ford, outreach and engagement coordinator for Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County, explains why recent changes to the state’s legislature disadvantages programs in place for low-income families with children.
For working parents and their children, the child care subsidy program at Children First/CIS promotes and provides opportunities for success.
The program provides a voucher to help with the costs of early childcare, preschool and after-school learning programs for income-eligible parents who either work or attend school. This helps lower-wage parents stay in the workforce and simultaneously provides high-quality, dependable care and learning environments for their kids.
Recently, the North Carolina legislature changed the way the state determines eligibility for childcare subsidies, and thousands of low-income families across N.C., especially those with school-age children, are having to make difficult choices. The funding for nearly 12,000 school-age children will be removed, according to the N.C. General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division.
Under the old system, parents with children under 13 qualified for assistance if they earned less than 75 percent of the state median income — about $50,244 for a family of four. The new program is now tied to the federal poverty level, so now a family of four, with children under the age of 6, can’t make more than $47,700.
And it’s even stricter for children ages 6 to 12. The income for a family of four can’t exceed $31,721, which breaks down to about $2,643 a month before taxes. The state budget also increased the copay families need to contribute to receive the subsidy to 10 percent of their monthly income.
Local nonprofit Children First/CIS created a video highlighting these changes to the childcare subsidy program, and how it has affected one working mother, Kim Akbar, who spoke at the YWCA as part of Just Economics VOICES for Economic Justice. To find out how you can advocate for low-income working families, go to www.childrenfirstcisbc.org or click here for more information on child care subsidies.
About Children First/ CIS
Children First/Communities In Schools of Buncombe County is a local nonprofit that provides programs to economically disadvantaged children & families. Children First’s mission is to empower children and their families to reach their full potential through advocacy, education and services. The mission of Communities In Schools is to surround students with a community of support, empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life.
To find out more, visit childrenfirstcisbc.org or call 786-2072.
Thanks for reading through to the end…
We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we’ve never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.
We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.
About Jodi Ford
View all posts by Jodi Ford
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.
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