We couldn’t have said it better…
Eveleth Horizons has posted two personal accounts shared at Friday’s Town Hall meeting on Governor Pawlenty’s budget proposals. These accounts describe the very real impacts of proposed cuts to child care.
This is what Child Care WORKS had to say about these cuts:
Governor Pawlenty’s budget for the next two state fiscal years includes the following proposals for child care:
» Reduce Child Care Assistance program provider reimbursement rates by 3% from current maximum rates;
» Raise family copayments by 3% for families receiving child care assistance;
» Limit retroactive eligibility for child care assistance to six months.
These proposals total over $10 million in funding reductions. The Governor also proposed extending current pilot projects (School Readiness Connections and ParentAware projects, but not the Pre-K allowances project) using unspent Basic Sliding Fee funds. He did not add any funds to reduce the waiting list for Child Care Assistance; currently there are about 7,000 families on the statewide waiting list.
Even if you didn’t go to the Town Hall meeting it’s not too late to take action.
Things you can do:
Write to members of the House Ways and Means Committee or Senate Health and Human Services Budget Division. (Be sure to cc your local legislators to keep them in the loop on your communications with the Capitol.)
And be sure to check in with Eveleth Horizons to see what they may have planned.
Looking for more to do? Visit Parents United for tips on Communicating with the Capitol.