child care

Indiana will pay for day care and preschool for about 14,000 out of the 35,000 children still on a state waitlist for vouchers, after the State Budget Committee approved Gov. Mike Braun's request for additional money.

Gov. Mike Braun's $200 million plan would reopen Indiana's frozen child care voucher program to about 14,000 low-income children.

Foster parent Jamie Potter's empty nursery highlights a growing Indiana crisis where working families can no longer afford to care for infants in need.

New funding could be coming to Indiana’s child care voucher program, but it likely will not be enough to cover the current waitlist.

Communities across Indiana are struggling to solve one of the state's largest challenges: How to help families get access to high-quality day care and preschool.

Access to affordable child care remains an ongoing issue in the state. Advocates hope they have more success addressing the problem in this upcoming Indiana legislative session.

WFYI’s Dylan Peers McCoy sat down with Sam Snideman, vice president of government relations for the United Way of Central Indiana, to talk about how inadequate child care affects families, businesses and communities.

The nonprofit gets state vouchers to pay for care for about 350 children. It is aiming to raise $750,000 to cover the cost of the cuts for the 2025-26 school year.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration is cutting voucher reimbursement rates for the Child Care and Development Fund. The agency said the cuts are meant to address a $225 million funding gap. The cuts range from 10 to 35 percent based on the child's age.

Lack of affordable and accessible child care affects thousands of Hoosier families. And according to the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, child care issues cost the state more than $1 billion in tax revenue each year. One advocacy group is working to increase child care access across the state.