Advocates, parents rally against child care subsidy cuts
Photo Available (thumbnail, caption below)
By SEAN MANGET
Cronkite News Service
PHOENIX (Thursday, Feb. 19) _ Cuts to a state program that subsidizes child care for parents of almost 20,000 Arizona children will leave many of those kids with relatives, neighbors and others who can’t provide the same level of attention, parents and advocates said Thursday.
Rallying at the State Capitol, dozens of people also said losing the subsidy would force some parents leave jobs to care for their children.
“They’re shredding the safety net. They’re putting children at risk and families out of work. Instead of giving families hope, they’re putting children at risk,” said Timothy Schmaltz, coordinator and CEO of the Protecting Arizona’s Family Coalition, which advocates for child care organizations.
Lawmakers addressing a $1.6 billion deficit in the budget for the fiscal year ending in June cut nearly $103 million from state Department of Economic Security, which cut $17.5 million from child care subsidies provided to low-income families.
The agency said that 15,000 families will lose subsidies starting March 1 and that most new applicants for the program will be placed on a waiting list. DES said 5,100 children will be on the waiting list by June 1.
State lawmakers, child care providers and concerned parents joined representatives of the Arizona Child Care Association and the Association for Supportive Child Care at Thursday’s rally.
“I believe that if these cuts are made there’s a severe chance that we’ll go out of business,” said Dale Fisher, owner of Sycamore School, a Mesa preschool and child care center.
Fisher estimates that 60 percent of the 140 children served by his school receive DES subsidies.
“Right now, the DES is helping me with my child care, and it’s pretty much the only way that I can afford to put my kids in child care,” said Misty Bertone, a parent. “If I’m cut, I obviously won’t have anyone to watch my children, so I would have to stay home with them myself, which would result in me losing my job.”
“Today, we’re here to stop the horrible actions that have been taken by legislators,” Bruce Liggett, executive director of the Arizona Child Care Association, told the crowd in the Capitol’s rose garden. “The cuts that were made to health, human services and child care were broad and deep and sudden.”
Sen. Linda Lopez, D-Tucson, said she believes conservatives used the cuts to attack programs they don’t approve of.
“I’ll be real honest with you: I think that the reason that happened is because the majority does not support the kinds of programs that DES provides for the most vulnerable people in our state,” Lopez said.
^___=
PHOTOS: Click thumbnails to see full-resolution images and download; caption information is in the file under File>File Info.
CAPTION FOR BC-CNS-CHILD CARE: Bruce Liggett, executive director of the Arizona Child Care Association, addresses a news conference at which he and others raised concerns about state cuts to child-care programs. (Cronkite News Service Photo/Sean Manget)