CINCINNATI — There’s good news for many Ohio families struggling to pay for childcare.
The cost of some daycare centers is going down next year, thanks to $10 million in state grants. That’s especially good for working moms who don’t make enough money to pay for daycare.
“That's daycare fees on top of rent on top of day-to-day stuff on top of baby stuff,” said Taylor Posey, who has one child with another on the way. “It’s just not enough money ever. Ha ha!”
Figure it out: A mom with one kid in daycare in Cincinnati pays about $300 a week, daycare operators say. That's about $15,000 a year.
The median income in Cincinnati is just more than $38,000.
When Posey’s second child arrives, her daycare costs could go up to $600 a week. That’s more than $30,000 per year.
“It is scary," said Cheryl Spencer, who runs Totally Kids Learning Center in Westwood.
But Spencer's center and other high-quality, five-star daycares across Ohio will qualify for $10 million in grants starting in July as long as they provide care to low-income families.
There are 51 daycares in Cincinnati that will qualify for grants.
CLICK HERE to see the list.
Search all Ohio child care providers by county, city, ZIP code, program type and Step Up To Quality rating at ChildCareSearch.Ohio.gov.
The grants will help these daycares lower tuition, buy better equipment and pay teachers more.
“That would help a lot of people,” said Posey, who works at Spencer’s daycare to make ends meet.
“I think they all need to take advantage of this opportunity to be able to have programming to come into these various communities in Cincinnati,” said Spencer. “It only will help the families and children that we serve.”
LEARN MORE about the grant program from the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.
