By Steven Allen Adams, for The Inter-Mountain
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There has been much talk of tax breaks and rebates for childcare services in West Virginia, but there is near silence from Gov. Jim Justice and human services officials on actions the state can immediately take to fund an impending funding cliff for child care subsidies.
While Justice and the state Department of Human Services wait to announce whether approximately $23 million will be shifted to the state’s Child Care Assistance program, childcare providers are closing across the state due to the uncertainty of whether the funding will be in place by a Sept. 1 deadline.
“The expiration of these funds is devastating,” said Tammy Cole, Director of Owlet Childcare Center, in an email Wednesday. The Fairmont-based Owlet Childcare Center announced that it was closing its doors in June. The facility served more than 30 children up to age 5.
“We’ve done everything we can to keep our doors open, but without continued support, we simply can’t sustain the rising costs,” Cole said. “The children and families we serve deserve better, and it breaks my heart to know we can no longer be there for them.”
New federal rules that take effect in September require states to provide funds to child care providers based on enrollment at individual facilities instead of attendance. Federal COVID-19 funding for childcare stabilization ended in September 2023. The American Rescue Plan Act allocated $24 billion for child care stabilization, which provided funds based on enrollment instead of based on attendance.
