INDIANAPOLIS (WOWO) — Indiana’s child care voucher waitlist has dropped by 78% since May following a $200 million investment aimed at expanding access to affordable child care for Hoosier families.
Gov. Mike Braun announced Monday that the number of children waiting for assistance through the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) has fallen from 41,175 in May to 9,006 at the end of October.
The reduction follows an investment announced in April using money from the state’s Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund.
“Making life more affordable for Hoosiers is a top priority of mine,” Braun said. “These results reflect focused efforts to deliver immediate relief to families and accelerate access to affordable child care.”
According to the governor’s office, nearly 48,000 children are now receiving child care vouchers, allowing more parents to pursue employment, education and job training while receiving assistance with child care expenses.
The funding prioritized children whose siblings already receive vouchers, along with infants, toddlers and children ages 3 through 5.
The state also established exemptions for certain groups, including children in foster and kinship care, children with special needs, children experiencing homelessness, children of child care workers and children of Ivy Tech students.
Braun said the expanded voucher program is intended to improve affordability while supporting Indiana’s workforce by making it easier for parents to work or pursue additional education.
Despite the reduction, more than 9,000 children remained on the state’s CCDF waitlist at the end of October.
