LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) – Texas will soon slash more than one thousand childcare scholarships, as 100,00 people remain on the waitlist.
The Texas Workforce Commission voted last month to cut 9.5% of the state’s subsidies, or scholarships, which accounts for approximately 14,000 children across the state.
Those subsidies are federally funded and state administered in an effort to help families afford childcare.
The cuts will go into effect over the next 18 months.
Miranda Gomez-Williams is the sole provider for her two children, who are one and eight years old. She pays around $60 per child, per day for childcare. She has been on the waitlist for government scholarships for more than a year.
“I don’t have any family here. I don’t have somebody to reach out and, hey, I’ll babysit for you. You know, you just, you don’t have anybody. You have to find a daycare,” Gomez-Williams said.
Gomez-Williams said she is behind on other expenses while she waits for assistance.
“I’m behind on dentists right now. Daycare was $1,000 this past month. Rent, food, utilities are on top of that, it’s a lot of payments,” Gomez-Williams said. “It’s a struggle being by myself, paying for all of this and not having any government assistance.”
Gomez-Williams said she is not looking for a handout from the government. She works various jobs to pay what she can but said she needs reliable childcare to continue working.
“Even with the government assistance, I don’t make it. Even working more than 40 hours, you know, I don’t make it. I don’t. I never make ends meet,” Gomez-Williams said.
Tim Kaminsky, president of the Texas Licensed Childcare Association, testified before state legislators about the cost of childcare this month.
“Childcare is not simply a social service. Childcare is workforce infrastructure. We exist so that parents can go to work. We allow hospitals, manufacturers, restaurants, retailers, construction companies, small businesses and virtually all other Texas employers to recruit and retain employees,” Kaminsky said.
Kaminsky is asking the state to consider changes to childcare regulations and mandates during the coming legislative session to ease the cost burden on facilities.
Because of the cuts, many children on the waitlist, like Gomez-Williams’, will likely remain there.
Gomez-Williams said she continues to rely on her faith in the meantime.
“I don’t know how I make it every day. I don’t know how I make it every week. But when I look back at it, I’m like, God was there. He was there through everything,” Gomez-Williams said.
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