STRATFORD — At one point last year, Shannon Peal nearly pulled her daughter out of Honey Bear Learning Center.
The $230 monthly payment was getting hard for this single mom of two to handle.
“It was a lot of money,” said Peal, who does secretarial work at a law firm.
With no child support, she said, she strongly considered having her daughter cared for by her mom, who was already watching Peal’s baby. She knew that would be a mistake.
Then the call came.
A new Care-4-Kids reimbursement rate that goes into effect Sunday will allow both of Peal’s daughters, who are now 4 and 1, to enroll in Honey Bear for a total of $110 a month.
“It’s so good,” Peal said. “I had no idea it was coming.”
The news helps families who rely on Care-4-Kid certificates at as many as 1,200 centers throughout the state. The $14 million in new federal child care development funds is the first boost in years.
In Southwestern Connecticut, the reimbursement rate for infant and toddler care will go from $221 to $300 a week, depending on income, and the preschool rate increase goes from $175 to $210.
At Honey Bear, families, depending on their income, will save from $194 to $406 a month, according to Catherine A. Vanicky, director of the program that serves 60 children. Of those, seven slots go to separate, state-funded Bridgeport School Readiness families, which are also receiving an additional funding.
Vanicky said the result will be nearly $19,000 a year, which she can use to give staff raises. The staff of 10 teachers currently make $14 to $15 an hour and could see up to a 6 percent hourly increase.
“It is definitely a good thing, a blessing,” said...
from News https://www.ctpost.com/local/article/New-funding-provides-daycare-relief-for-parents-14402979.php
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