Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta smiles at her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Auburn, Wash.. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two-year-old Zakiah Jatta points to a photo of her family hanging on the wall in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash. Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two-year-old Zakiah Jatta holds a doll in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta kisses her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marisshia Sigala secures her son Mateo in his car seat after picking him up after work from the Koala Children's Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Like most other New Mexico families, Sigala and her husband qualify for subsidized child care in New Mexico, providing them more flexibility to see more clients as they build their careers.
- Susan Montoya Bryan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mateo Arambula waits for his mother, Marisshia Sigala, to collect his things as she picks him up from Koala Children's Academy after a day of work in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Like most other New Mexico families, Sigala and her husband qualify for subsidized child care in New Mexico, providing them more flexibility to see more clients as they build their careers.
- Susan Montoya Bryan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rylee Monn plays with her class at a child care center in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Monn, who has two children at the center where she works, is taking advantage of a state program that offers free or reduced cost child care to child care workers. Monn says the program saves her family hundreds of dollars a week.
- Dylan Lovan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Delaney Griffin, center, plays with toddlers at the child care center where she works, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. Griffin went to work at the center after leaving a restaurant job because she could receive low cost child care for her daughter. Kentucky started a program in 2023 that offers free child or reduced cost care to child care workers.
- Dylan Lovan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe, assistant teacher with ECEAP, left, plays with two-year-old Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta smiles at her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe, assistant teacher with ECEAP, right, watches as two-year-old Zakiah Jatta plays with Play-Doh in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bulletin board hanging outside of a classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta talks about Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Auburn, Wash. In the background, her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta is playing with play dough as her teacher Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe watches at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash..
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP
Child care has long been expensive for families, hard to find and financially precarious for day care owners and workers
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta smiles at her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Auburn, Wash.. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two-year-old Zakiah Jatta points to a photo of her family hanging on the wall in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash. Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Two-year-old Zakiah Jatta holds a doll in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Zakiah is enrolled in Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program).
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta kisses her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Marisshia Sigala secures her son Mateo in his car seat after picking him up after work from the Koala Children's Academy in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Like most other New Mexico families, Sigala and her husband qualify for subsidized child care in New Mexico, providing them more flexibility to see more clients as they build their careers.
- Susan Montoya Bryan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Mateo Arambula waits for his mother, Marisshia Sigala, to collect his things as she picks him up from Koala Children's Academy after a day of work in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Wednesday, March 20, 2024. Like most other New Mexico families, Sigala and her husband qualify for subsidized child care in New Mexico, providing them more flexibility to see more clients as they build their careers.
- Susan Montoya Bryan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Rylee Monn plays with her class at a child care center in Lexington, Ky., Wednesday, March 13, 2024. Monn, who has two children at the center where she works, is taking advantage of a state program that offers free or reduced cost child care to child care workers. Monn says the program saves her family hundreds of dollars a week.
- Dylan Lovan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Delaney Griffin, center, plays with toddlers at the child care center where she works, Wednesday, March 13, 2024, in Lexington, Ky. Griffin went to work at the center after leaving a restaurant job because she could receive low cost child care for her daughter. Kentucky started a program in 2023 that offers free child or reduced cost care to child care workers.
- Dylan Lovan - staff, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe, assistant teacher with ECEAP, left, plays with two-year-old Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta smiles at her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe, assistant teacher with ECEAP, right, watches as two-year-old Zakiah Jatta plays with Play-Doh in her classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bulletin board hanging outside of a classroom at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash., Tuesday, March 26, 2024. Washington is doing more to help families access and afford child care, but huge gaps remain. Early ECEAP provides free child care and family support services to infants and toddlers from low-income households. But there are only 178 spots funded in the entire state. Some of those spots are at Akin's early learning center in Auburn.
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Zaneta Billyzone-Jatta talks about Washington state's Early ECEAP (Early Childhood Education and Assistance Program) Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Auburn, Wash. In the background, her two-year-old daughter Zakiah Jatta is playing with play dough as her teacher Jenna Carodiskey-Wiebe watches at Akin's Early Learning Center in Auburn, Wash..
- Ellen M. Banner - member, ASSOCIATED PRESS
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — Across the country, the story for families is virtually the same: Child care is unaffordable for many, hard to find for those who can pay, and financially precarious for day care operators and their employees.
The Biden administration and Congress tried to alleviate some of these problems when the pandemic crippled the child care industry. But as the record $52.5 billion in relief winds down, many states have stepped in with their own solutions.
Newsletters
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Tags
- Free Daycare Preschool Child Care Subsidy
- Labor
- Politics
- Child Care
- Children
- Business
- Lifestyle
- U.s. News
- General News
- Education
