Daycares and parents react to temporary changes to Mississippi Child Care Payment Program

PASCAGOULA, Miss. (WLOX) – “Our goal here is to make sure the kids are safe, learning and that the parents are also happy that the kids are here,” Tracey Stacy said.

Windy’s Childcare Academy in Pascagoula has about 50 children enrolled with 11 workers on staff. Owner Tracey Stacy says most of the families rely on the state’s Child Care Payment Program that’s been funded in part with federal COVID relief money.

Now, the state says with federal funds cut, parents like Amber Keenum are scrambling.

“I wanted to cry. Still have no idea what I’m going to do next week if they don’t do something because I don’t have 908 dollars a month to pay for daycare,” Keenum said.

Keenum has relied on this program to care for her two-year-old while she goes to work. Last week, she received a letter from the Mississippi Department of Human Services, explaining who can still use the program.

She says she no longer qualified and without it, she can’t afford to pay for daycare.

“That shouldn’t matter. If it’s going to be good for so many people for so long, yet y’all are running out of funds. It should be the same for everyone,” Keenum said.

For 75 percent of the families at the center, the director sees some difficult decisions coming.

“If we don’t have enough children here, we may have to close down, lay off some of my employees. It will be reduced,” Stacy said.

Both Stacy and Keenum are asking for support from the state on behalf of working parents.

“My child is comfortable and happy here. For her to hurry up and go somewhere else when she’s already been here for this long, I mean, wow. You can’t do that to a child, especially with her learning since she’s only two,” Keenum said.

“A lot of the parents don’t have anybody to keep their kids at home. So we’re here for that reason and the child payment program helps with that. It helps to offset some of the expenses for the parents,” Stacy said.

The cuts do not impact everyone. The Childcare Payment Program remains in place for families that meet certain criteria such as low-income or special needs children.

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