Arizona announces $3 million grant program for child care relief

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A new $3 million grant program could provide relief for Arizona families struggling with the high cost of child care, just weeks before summer break.

Morgan is like many Arizona parents, overwhelmed by child care costs.

“Right now, with prices of day care, it is not attainable to be able to go to work and have your child at school,” Morgan said.

According to the education website Tootris, Arizona parents are paying an average of $1,116 a month for toddler care. Infant care is even more expensive at $1,330 a month.

State funding targets summer care costs

Gov. Katie Hobbs announced the Department of Economic Security will team up with the Bright Futures Arizona initiative to provide $3 million to child care providers across the state. The money will be used to directly bring down the cost of care for children who will be out of school for the summer.

Kathy Nacario is the regional director for Quality Interactive Montessori. She said the new funding should help hundreds of parents get the child care they need, but there are still 11,000 Arizonans on the wait list for child care assistance across the state.

“We have families that come in and can’t afford the program and when they arrive, they ask what they can do for assistance. We tell them, go to DES and we know they will be put on a wait list. We know we probably won’t see them again, which is heartbreaking,” Nacario said.

Parents like Morgan are hopeful state lawmakers will see how important child care is to working parents and will approve more funding.

“We need far more help. We really are a cry for help, especially as a teacher and educator myself, I see it every day; parents who have to walk away from child care because they don’t have assistance offered and we can’t give it to them,” she said.

For more information on child care options in Arizona, click/tap here.

For additional resources, click/tap here.

To get on the wait list for child care assistance, click/tap here.

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