Two thousand children from low-income working families who are already on a waiting list will be added to Alabama’s subsidized child care rolls, the Commissioner of the state Department of Human Resources (DHR) announced.
"The children will be selected based on the length of time that they have been on the waiting list," Commissioner Page Walley said. "The 2,000 children who have been on the list the longest will be the first ones to begin receiving subsidized child care," he noted.
The families will be contacted by the child care management agencies (CMAs), which handle child care subsidy eligibility under a contract with DHR.
Commissioner Walley said he is hopeful that, in addition to these 2,000 children, others on the waiting list can be added to the subsidized child care rolls incrementally during the current fiscal year.
"Providing subsidized child care for these families helps the parents continue working instead of going on welfare," Commissioner Walley said. "This is a winning proposition for all concerned. Assisting these hard-working families with child care expenses helps them maintain the dignity and sense of pride that come from being productive, tax-paying citizens," he added.
Approximately 12,500 children are on a waiting list to receive subsidized care through DHR. During Fiscal Year 2005, a monthly average of 27,600 children from low-income families received child care through DHR.