California Subsidies For Low-Income Childcare Restored
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) - The state has the money to keep offering subsidies to help low-income families pay for childcare, Assembly Speaker John Perez said Friday.
The funding eliminated by former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger using his line-item veto authority can be made up with unused money from the Department of Education, Perez said.
"When you look at the costs of this program in terms of just the dollar amount versus just the economic benefits that we get from keeping these folks employed and off of the welfare rolls and off of the unemployment line, you can see very clearly that this is a huge win," said John Vigna, a spokesman for Perez.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor Reports:
About 1,200 of the more than 55,000 families in the state eligible for the program live in San Francisco, said Bryce Skolfield of the San Francisco Children's Council.
Skolfield said many families had worked their way off welfare, and still needed a small amount to be able to stay in the workforce rather than at home with their children.
"A lot of parents, if they're put up against the wall, might have to pick leaving their jobs which would then really put them back in a situation where they're going back on the welfare rolls and creating a cycle of poverty," Skolfield said.
Governor Jerry Brown has agreed to continue the program in his budget, but wants the eligibility rules changed to eliminate the subsidies for older children who might be able to care for themselves.
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