KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – Money to help some child care students is getting cut.
The Tennessee Department of Human Services said it is losing some federal dollars that help with its Child Care Fund, meaning the state’s new budget for this fiscal year is smaller than planned.
The money that’s there is being put towards direct services, like a payment assistance program, but child care professionals said this also means no money for a grant program for students.
“We have to provide for families,” said Kimberly Cassidy, director of the Childhood Program at Walters State Community College.
Child care is an important resource for any community.
“If you have grandchildren, it affects you. If you have children, it affects you. If you have employees that have children, that’s going to affect your workplace,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy said East Tennessee is in a desert for child care providers, so it’s crucial to recruit as many people as possible into training programs. But she said now that the Tennessee Early Childhood Training Alliance (TECTA) is losing money from the state, it will be more difficult.
“Other schools may lose their entire early childhood program if they can’t quickly figure out how to bring more students in bring students in and get them additional funding,” Cassidy said. “We’re all scrambling trying to find funding to help us in the spring semester. We’re trying to just get through spring.”
With the TDHS losing federal dollars, the money they do have is put towards direct childcare services, like the Smart Steps Child Care Payment Assistance Program.
Tracy Liebermann is the president for the Knoxville Association for Children’s Early Education (KACEE). She said TECTA gives two free years in early childhood education college courses.
It’s an opportunity for students who can’t afford college or are unsure about the career field.
“Without that, there’s going to be a decrease in the high quality educators we have,” Liebermann said. “We also know that those who feel more prepared, less burnout rate, they stay in their jobs longer. What our little ones need is stability, and they need to have the consistency and the same person with them.”
Liebermann said having trained childcare professional makes a difference for families.
“We’re looking at a lot of these children who are growing up in the COVID-19 years,” she said. “We’re seeing such a delay in a lot of their social, emotional and cognitive development. Now more than ever is the time for high quality childhood educators.”
Cassidy said TECTA could get revived in the next fiscal year but the format could look different.
A spokesperson for TECTA said the Child Care Development Fund is not ending, but it has been reduced by about $44.5 million from the anticipated amount.
“We know how vital access to child care is for families across Tennessee, and we remain deeply committed to seeking innovative funding strategies and building strong partnerships to continue supporting providers, the early childhood workforce, and families throughout the state,” officials said. “As we move forward, we are constructing a matrix of professional development resources that are currently available and how to access them. Additionally, we plan to engage with providers and members of the early childhood community to seek input on what support for child care workforce professional development and higher education could look like under current circumstances. We will also continue working closely with our federal partners to identify solutions.”
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