Action Alert: Protect infant/toddler child care scholarship money!

The Legislature approved $2.36 million in stimulus funds for infant/toddler child care scholarships! Now, we need to make sure the Governor keeps the money in there.

The scholarships would help low-income working families between 145 - 185% poverty level (a family of four at 185% FPL translates to $41,625/yr income). Provided through Empowerment, the scholarships would help families get back to work! Click here to read the bill language: HF820
What You Can Do Please make a phone call or email ASAP with this message. The Pass this message onto your Board members and volunteers. We need as many people as possible to contact the Governor. Governor Culver has 30 days to veto/approve all measures.

Dear Governor Culver: United Way and our partners are very interested in making sure that families can get back to work. Many hard working families need help paying for day care so they can get and keep a job. You can help these hard working families by protecting child care scholarship money for infants and toddlers. House File 820 outlines how this one-time child care scholarship can help thousands of low-income families get back to work. Available on a sliding fee scale, these "bridge" payments can be one-time payments to parents up to 185% of the federal poverty level, and temporary payments to families who are recently unemployed and seeking work. These scholarships would help kids not currently income-eligible for state child care assistance.

This money can help hundreds of kids with full time care, and potentially thousands with temporary, short-term care. (Average quality care can cost $100/week per child, $5200/yr). This project is shovel-ready: several Iowa Empowerment regions already provide flexible scholarships for families. We need additional funding to assist more families at this time of economic crisis. Over 11,000 kids in Iowa live in families earning between 145 and 185% federal poverty level (185% FPL represents an annual income of $41,625 for a family of four).

Families cannot afford to be without child care when they go back to work. Please help children stay safe and in good care and support our hard working Iowa families.