Child care programs just lost thousands of federal dollars. Families and providers scramble to cope

By LEAH WILLINGHAM
Associated Press

WILLIAMSON, W.Va. (AP) — After two years of receiving federal subsidies, 220,000 child care programs across the country lost funding. Part of the largest investment in child care in U.S. history, the monthly payments ranged from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. The funding that ended Saturday was meant to stabilize the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. Providers say ending it puts at risk millions of children and their families. The Century Foundation, a progressive think tank in Washington, D.C., analyzed a provider survey and government data. It concluded that half of all providers are threatened in six states: Arkansas, Montana, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, as well as Washington, D.C.