Help More Delaware Families Access Early Care and Education!

Families and child care providers in Delaware continue to struggle to make ends meet, despite some positive gains in recent years.

Let’s help Gov. Matt Meyer and his administration follow through on their commitment to provide access to universal pre-K throughout the state. This year, let's capitalize on Delaware’s historic investments and serve even more children and families by investing more state dollars and allowing more families to access care by increasing eligibility.

Some progress has been made in recent years, and some promising things are on the horizon. Advocates have also identified detailed policy goals related to early care.

But there are still significant child care needs today in Delaware. Fewer than 1 in 5 children are served in public programs: We are a long way from universal.

• Care is too expensive for many families, costing as much as a mortgage payment and college tuition. Only families earning below $65,000 yearly (below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level) can access state-sponsored programs.

• Child care providers want to offer more openings to families but cannot due to low rates of state reimbursement and staffing shortages.

• Employers face daily disruptions, a shrinking workforce, and business losses due to child care challenges, with three in four (75 percent) in Delaware saying such problems are hurting their business.

Thank you, Gov. Meyer for the proposed investments in early care and education:

• $25 million for Purchase of Care increases, including to pay centers based on enrollment—stabilizing their operations and hiring—and for costs associated with serving children with special needs

• $8 million for investments in state funded pre-K (Early Childhood Assistance Program, or ECAP)

While this request is focused on FY27 budget, the state needs to make longer-term, transformational investments that expand access to all Delaware families.

Contact members of the Joint Finance Committee and your legislator to say:

Please make early childhood care and education a priority in the budget. Build on the governor’s recommended budget and expand access to serve more families and ensure programs are high quality:

Department of Education: Increase access to state-funded pre-K (ECAP)

1. Increase eligibility to serve families up to at least 300% of the Federal Poverty Level

1. Provide infrastructure funds to expand early care and education capacity through grants and by allowing public school capital funding to cover pre-K

Department of Health and Social Services: Increase access to child care (Purchase of Care) for more families

1. Increase per-child Purchase of Care rates to at least the federal benchmark of the 75th percentile so programs can open more classrooms and increase staff pay and benefits 

1. Expand eligibility to serve families up to at least 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (making about 5,000 more families eligible)