Help Delaware Families Access Child Care!  

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, serve at least 5,500 more children by investing more and allowing access for families up to at least 250% of the federal poverty level. 

There are significant child care needs today in Delaware:  

• Less than 1 in 5 children are served in public programs: We are a long way from universal. Only 19% of children under age 5 are served in publicly funded child care. 
• Care is too expensive for many families, costing as much as a mortgage payment and as college tuition. Additionally, only families earning below $60,000 yearly (below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level) can access state-sponsored programs. Most other states serve many more families by extending eligibility to 250% of FPL and beyond. 
• Parents can’t work, which holds back our economy: Most Delaware parents (57%) said they have reduced hours at work due to a lack of child care, with many others either leaving the workforce (27%), quitting a job (26%), or not pursuing a promotion (30%). Delaware employers have called on policymakers to take action to increase child care access, noting limited productivity and growth due to workforce shortages. 
• Child care providers want to offer more openings to families but cannot due to low rates of state reimbursement and staffing shortages. The Purchase of Care rate the state pays to providers is far below the true cost of quality care and education, and well below the national minimum benchmark of the 75th percentile of the market rate (at the 50th percentile). Low rates contribute to significant challenges for compensating and retaining staff. 
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While this request is focused on FY26 budget, the state needs to make longer-term, transformational investments that expand access to all Delaware families. 

Contact Governor Matt Meyer and your legislator through this message to say:  

Please continue to make early childhood care and education a priority in the budget—invest to expand access to serve more families and ensure programs are high -quality: 

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

• Expand access for 500 more children 
• Increase eligibility to serve families up to at least 300% of the Federal Poverty Level  
• 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 

• 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  
• Expand eligibility to serve families up to at least 300% of the Federal Poverty Level (making about 5,000 more families eligible) 
• Increase special education rates to cover costs of supporting children’s needs