Education News

Georgia Senate Considers Options to Ease Child Care Costs for Families in 2025

Lawmakers Explore Solutions to Affordable Child Care Amid Rising Costs

Child care in Georgia is becoming a growing concern for many families, with costs rising steadily and leaving many parents struggling to find affordable options. However, there is a potential shift on the horizon, as the Georgia Senate’s Committee on Affordable Childcare works to address this issue. After concluding hearings and gathering expert testimony, the committee is expected to release its findings later this month, with an eye toward finding solutions for the upcoming legislative session.

Currently, the cost of caring for young children far exceeds the federal definition of affordable child care, which is capped at 7% of a family’s income. In Georgia, this figure is especially concerning, as data from the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) reveals that in 142 of the state’s 159 counties, infant care costs surpass that threshold. For many families, this means that parents—especially mothers—may have to forgo employment or education in order to care for their children. This lack of affordable child care is also contributing to missed opportunities for early childhood education and social development.

The Struggles of Child Care Providers and the Need for Support

One of the main concerns discussed during the Senate committee’s hearings was the difficulty faced by child care providers, particularly small business owners. Jana Fox, the owner of the Learning Treehouse in Rincon, emphasized that while child care teachers are highly trained and passionate about their work, they are not compensated enough to compete with other industries. This issue is compounded by the fact that it is increasingly difficult to recruit and retain qualified staff.

Georgia child care costs families

Fox explained the strain faced by small child care centers: “Our staff are working harder than ever, but we are constantly at the risk of losing them to higher-paying jobs in other fields. Finding new qualified teachers has become almost impossible.” She stressed the need for more flexible funding to ensure that providers can not only keep their current staff but also attract new talent to maintain high standards in early childhood education.

Calls for Action: Using Surplus Funds to Create a Child Care Trust Fund

To tackle these issues, GBPI’s Director of Economic Justice, Ife Finch Floyd, presented a proposal to the Senate committee. Floyd recommended using a portion of the state’s $11 billion budget surplus to create a child care trust fund, similar to initiatives in states like New Mexico. This fund could help expand eligibility for child care assistance to families with moderate incomes, as New Mexico did, extending support to those earning up to 400% of the federal poverty line.

This proposal aims to provide relief for middle-income families, who often fall through the cracks of existing assistance programs. “In New Mexico, they were able to expand eligibility to 400% of the federal poverty line, which is about $99,000 for a family of three,” Floyd noted. By reducing co-payments for families and increasing reimbursement rates to providers, New Mexico’s approach could serve as a model for Georgia, ensuring that both providers and parents are better supported.

Floyd further explained that an initial investment of $1.5 billion could generate substantial returns over the next decade. According to GBPI’s projections, such an investment could yield nearly $2.8 billion within the first ten years, providing a sustainable funding source for child care services. However, for this plan to move forward, it would require a constitutional amendment, which means it would need approval from both the state legislature and Georgia voters in a referendum.

Controversy and Alternatives: Should Child Care Be Managed Differently?

While many senators, including Floyd, support the idea of a child care trust fund, other voices have raised concerns about government involvement in child care pricing. Buzz Brockway, a former state lawmaker with the Georgia Center for Opportunity, argued that government regulation has driven up the cost of child care in Georgia. He pointed out that daycare inflation has outpaced general inflation by 88% over the past 30 years, an unsustainable trend for many families.

Brockway suggested reevaluating the structure of the state’s Child and Parent Services Program (CAPS), which assists low-income families with child care costs. One of his ideas includes instituting a child support requirement for CAPS, similar to the program’s existing requirement for the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program. Under this system, noncustodial parents would be required to contribute toward the cost of child care, which could reduce the financial burden on custodial parents.

Despite Brockway’s proposal, some senators, like Atlanta Democratic Senator Elena Parent, expressed concerns. Parent questioned whether this system could leave custodial parents with fewer resources for other necessary child-rearing expenses. “How do you say it can only be for that one thing when there’s so much, as we know, so many things involved in raising a child?” she asked.

Another point of contention was Brockway’s suggestion to prioritize informal child care, such as family members, friends, or neighbors providing care for multiple children. Parent raised concerns about the quality of informal care, emphasizing that brain development during the critical early years of life requires a more structured, educational environment.

What’s Next for Georgia’s Child Care System?

As the debate continues, the Georgia Senate Committee on Affordable Childcare will continue to evaluate the best ways to support families and child care providers. Lawmakers face a balancing act—ensuring that child care becomes more affordable without sacrificing the quality of care. The solutions discussed so far, including a child care trust fund and reformed government policies, could provide significant relief to families, but it remains to be seen which path the state will take in the new legislative session.

With a growing number of families struggling to afford child care, the stakes are high for Georgia’s legislature to find effective and lasting solutions. Whatever the outcome, this issue will likely remain a major topic of discussion in the upcoming legislative session.

Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *