As Arizona continues to grapple with the aftermath of depleted COVID-era funds, more than 2,600 children linger on a waitlist for child care subsidies, a situation that underscores the dire need for financial assistance among working families in the state. This reality set in last August when the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) began queueing families seeking support for child care costs, as reported by ABC15. "We do not have enough funding for low income working families to be able to access child care and then go to work," Barbie Prinster of the Arizona Early Childhood Education Association conveyed her concern in a statement obtained by ABC15.
The challenges these families face are not just about numbers; they reflect deeply personal stories of struggle and sacrifice. Jenney Gonzalez, a single mother, previously lost a job when child care became an unaffordable luxury. With the majority of her child care currently subsidized by DES, Gonzalez is acutely aware of the harsh choices that confront her without this aid. "Either being at home or finding some other way to make income because I wouldn’t be able to afford it," she told ABC15, delineating the stark decisions at stake.
According to the Arizona Mirror, the echo of these individual hardships resounds against a backdrop of legislative inaction. Reports indicate that the waitlist's presence testifies to the shortfall state lawmakers failed to fill following the evaporation of federal pandemic funds. The reinstatement of this list, absent since a decade ago, was a predictable consequence of a significant funding gap created by legislative decisions, or rather, the lack thereof.
As DES hopes to process applications that have been lingering for over 30 days by the end of March, the reality sets in that the solutions might be anything but immediate. Governor Katie Hobbs has publicly recognized the need for intervention, proposing a budget to address the crisis through various approaches, like reducing costs and increasing childcare availability. However, these features of a compassionate and forward-thinking policy can only materialize with bipartisan legislative consent—and with an administration known for spending freezes and cuts, such agreement seems hardly more than an optimistic glint on the horizon.
Kirsten Gray from the Valley of the Sun YMCA adds another layer to the narrative, noting a significant decline in enrollment despite an expansion in capacity. "They can stay home with mom and dad, maybe self-entertain themselves, but we know they’re not getting kinder ready," she expressed concern to ABC15, voicing the broader implications of the problem on children's preparedness for educational settings.
Moving beyond individual organizations, the waitlist issue has garnered attention from the business community, spotlighting the interconnectedness of childcare accessibility and economic vitality. "The child care waitlist is just more proof of what we’ve been saying: Arizona families and businesses are struggling with a system that isn’t working," Danny Seiden, president of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told AZCIR via email.
