If you ask Georgia parents of young children to rate their anxieties these days, most will put finances at the top of their lengthy lists. Specifically, they’re plagued by the high price of child care and its impact on their employment opportunities, their family budgets, and our state’s economy.
When Georgia’s legislative session ended in the late evening hours of April 4th, our elected officials had passed one measure—House Bill 136, a tax package aimed at addressing child care costs (see more below)—that will give parents some relief and help employers contribute to their workers’ child care costs.
But another important program— child care scholarships funded by Childcare and Parent Services (CAPS)—received only a modest budgetary bump. This despite the fact that. . .
- Georgia’s child care challenges are more dire than ever, causing at least $2.52 billion in annual losses in economic activity and an additional $131.7 million in lost tax revenue.
- Neighboring states have stepped up and invested in their child care systems. They include Alabama ($30 million), Kentucky ($86 million), Louisiana ($51 million), and Florida ($69 million). Georgia’s FY26 budget included only $5.4 million.
- Only an estimated five percent of Georgia children from potentially income-eligible families are served by CAPS.
This year, GEEARS and our partners advocated intensely for a significant and sustained investment in CAPS so that more Georgia parents and caregivers would be able to work and support their families. We will continue urging our legislators to acknowledge working parents’ critical role in our state’s economy and increase their investment in our kids’ early care and learning…