Ohio offers Publicly Funded Child Care to working families at or below 130% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). The program, however, fails to support many more low-income, working families who are unable to achieve self-sufficiency without child care support. A single mother of two children (an infant and a 4-year old) living in Franklin County who has an annual gross income of $41,560 (e.g. Community Health Worker, Construction Worker) does not qualify for PFCC under current eligibility rules and would have to spend 41% of her annual gross income on child care. After meeting all other basic needs, the family would be left with substantially less expendable income than a family at 130% of the FPL.
Are we preventing families from breaking out of the cycle of poverty? How would expanding PFCC eligibility impact families at 200% FPL?
The Bottom Line By expanding eligibility to quality publicly funded child care, we can support working families, give children a better chance at breaking the cycle of poverty, and invest in Ohio’s future economic prosperity. Check out Groundwork's new resource to learn more about the impact expanding PFCC eligibility could have on Ohio's working families.
Ohio's youngest learners cannot afford to wait for our state to invest in high-quality early education and healthcare. Click below to tweet at gubernatorial nominees Attorney General Mike DeWine and Mr. Richard Cordray to make sure they participate in the Vote for Ohio Kids Leadership Forum and commit to making Ohio kids a top priority after the election!
