DENVER – Tens of thousands of Colorado children are placed in jeopardy by a federal funding freeze that would result in families losing cash assistance, lead child care centers to close, and make it even more difficult for families to find safe places for their children to be cared for while they work.
More than 300 organizations and individuals in Colorado have signed a letter calling on federal officials and the state’s congressional delegation to act so that critical federal funding for child care, families’ basic needs, and social services continues to flow to Colorado.
[READ THE LETTER AND VIEW SIGNATURES]
Earlier this month, the federal department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) froze tens of millions of dollars in funding for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG), and the Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP).
“While the freeze is currently paused, this action should never have occurred. Programs that support children should never be used in political gamesmanship,” said Heather Tritten, President and CEO of the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “It is particularly disgraceful that these cuts specifically target children in families with low incomes – some of which will face a double blow, losing access to child care and support for basic needs, job training, and other resources all at once.”
The freezes would also have ripple effects for children and families not directly served by the affected programs, as Colorado government agencies would lose funding they use to administer a variety of early childhood programs and child care providers would lose funds that allow them to serve children with and without subsidies.
“Colorado’s child care infrastructure is underfunded even without this freeze. Denying the state this funding is kicking us when we were already down. More than 12,000 Colorado children are on waitlists and freezes for CCCAP, and many more families across the state struggle to find and afford high-quality child care,” said Dr. Mathangi Subramanian,
Director of Early Childhood Policy at the Colorado Children’s Campaign. “If this funding is frozen, it will disrupt the lives of children and families almost immediately. And it will cause serious losses for our state’s communities and our economy as child care providers close and parents can no longer go to work.”
The letter calls for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administration for Children and Families to rescind the freeze and for the state’s Congressional delegation to urge the administration to release funds.
“Colorado’s children are its most important asset. We should be investing in every child every day so they can be healthy and thrive,” Tritten said.
Facts and Figures:
- The Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) serves 27,000 children, most of them under the age of 5. Without CCCAP funding, many providers will be forced to close their doors.
- More than 47,000 children in Colorado receive basic cash assistance through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program (TANF). These children live in families with household incomes under $15,000 per year and TANF helps their families afford necessities like diapers, food and clothing.
Learn More:
- Read the Colorado Children’s Campaign’s statement on the funding freeze
- Coloradans who are concerned can reach out to their representatives using the Colorado Children’s Campaign’s action alert