#child-care-funding

#child-care-funding

There were once so many children at Frisha Moore's Elk Grove preschool that families filled up the waitlist. Now, one of her playgrounds and two classrooms sit empty because one key group of kids has stopped coming. Dozens of families in recent years have opted not to enroll their 4-year-olds at Moore Learning Preschool & Child Care Center, she said. Instead, they're putting their children in transitional kindergarten, California's new public pre-kindergarten grade.

The programs are the Child Care and Development Fund, which subsidizes child care for children from low-income families; the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which provides cash assistance and job training; and the Social Services Block Grant, a smaller fund that provides money for a variety of programs. The five states say they receive a total of more than $10 billion a year from the programs.

Gov. Gavin Newsom is responding after President Donald Trump said Tuesday that California is being investigated for fraud. The president said in a post on Truth Social that the "Fraud Investigation of California has begun," but he did not provide any specifics about the alleged fraud. In a statement to ABC News, Newsom's office said he's blocked more than $125 billion in fraud, arrested criminals and protected taxpayers from scam artists.

New Mexico has become the first state in the country to guarantee universal child care to families residing in the state. New Mexico families will be eligible for free child care for infants and toddlers starting Nov. 1, no matter their incomes. The groundbreaking initiative will require no co-pays from families. The typical New Mexico family is expected to save over $12,000 per child annually with the initiative.

An industry-sponsored bill moving through the Legislature - and already passed by the Assembly - would eliminate the tax increase and lower the rate back to 15% for the next six years. This would reduce by $180 million annually the tax revenue that the state contributes toward law enforcement, child care, services for at-risk youth and environmental cleanup. The losses include about $81 million annually that would have specifically funded additional subsidized child-care slots for about 8,000 children from low-income families.

In early April, Head Start child-care centers were told they must provide additional information before accessing funding, raising concerns over the future of the program.