By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
The federal Child and Adult Care Food Program provides supplementary funds to child care providers to cover part of the cost of meals and snacks.
Tori Ruder, owner of Ruder's Rugrats Daycare in Hays, said her payments have been cut in half after a change in the funding structure.
Until the pandemic, the program had a two-tiered system. Child care programs in lower-income areas were on tier one and received higher funding.
During the pandemic, the reimbursement for all providers in the program was increased to tier one, and everyone received the highest reimbursement.
Now that the pandemic is over, the program has reverted back to a tier system, and some providers are receiving significantly less funding despite pressure from inflation.
U.S. Congressmen Greg Landsman, D-Ohio, and Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, D-Oregon, have introduced legislation that would be a part of the Farm Bill that would eliminate the tier system and result in all providers receiving the maximum reimbursement.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reimburses child care providers for meals and snacks they serve to more than 4.2 million children each day in participating family child care homes, child care centers, Head Start programs and after-school programs.
The Child Care Task Force of Ellis County wrote letters to all of the local members of Congress, urging them to support increasing reimbursements to child care programs through the food program legislation.
Sunshine Connection, which is operated by Kelly Horn, is the sponsor for the program for home child care providers in Hays and the surrounding area. Sunshine sponsors about 190 child care homes in northwest Kansas.
She said the difference between tier one and two for this fiscal year, which ends in June, is substantial.
Tier funding for 2023-24 fiscal year
Tier 1 breakfast $.165
Tier 2 breakfast $.59
Tier 1 lunch/dinner $3.12
Tier 2 lunch/dinner $1.88
Tier 1 snack $.93
Tier 2 snack $.25
In real dollars, the Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act would mean, according to a press release issued by the sponsoring members of Congress.
- A family child care provider serving seven children could receive an additional $475 a month or $5,700 a year in reimbursements
- A Head Start program or child care center serving 100 children could receive an additional $600 a month or $7,200 a year in reimbursements
Under the new legislation, care providers also could use funds to provide food for their own children without qualifying by income. Children under a certain age are counted toward the number of children a home provider can care for.
A 10-cent increase tied to inflation is also part of the legislation.
"Everybody is buying the same groceries from the same grocery store," Horn said. "It shouldn't matter where your day care home is located. We are all taking care of the same kids. We're not like a big city."
Horn said the decrease in federal funding for some providers could result in higher child care prices for parents.
Ruder said she did not increase prices for her parents, but she thought about it.
"... the price of groceries did not go down with the tier," she said.
Ruder said she has to spend more time than she did before to pick meals for the week to meet the much lower food budget while also maintaining the requirements of the program.
The providers have to meet nutrition guidelines and keep records of what they are feeding children in order to receive funding.
"The requirements on foods that qualify are still there. Just because the tier changed does not mean the restrictions lessen," she said.
Ruder said the decrease in funding has made it more difficult for her to maintain her business in what is already a very challenging industry.
"Food costs rising along with other supplies continue eating into our funds," she said. "I could increase my costs but that does not help anyone in the long run.
"My parents are great and are very understanding, and I want to continue those good relationships without pricing them out of care. I am about the middle of the road with my costs."
The members of Congress who introduced the legislation that would increase reimbursements for the food program express similar concerns about the viability of child care services across the nation.
“We are facing a child care crisis in this country, and we need commonsense leadership and solutions to address these challenges,” Landsman said in a news release.
“Working with more than 40 national organizations that are dedicated to improving children’s lives and outcomes, we’re putting forward a responsible legislative solution that will invest real dollars that will help child care providers remain open while improving the meals we serve to children every single day.”
Bonamici echoed those sentiments in the press release.
“Child care providers play an essential role in feeding millions of children healthy meals and snacks,” Bonamici said. “Unfortunately, outdated policies and the rising cost of food are cutting into the funds child care providers need to stay open and offer quality care.
"The Child Care Nutrition Enhancement Act is a commonsense way to support child care providers as we face a national crisis in care and help more children access healthy foods.”
Horn urged those interested in promoting this funding increase to contact their local Congressmen. In Hays, that would be Sen. Jerry Moran, Sen. Roger Marshall or Rep. Tracey Mann.
You can look up the contact information for your U.S. representatives HERE.
You can look up the contact information for your U.S. senators HERE.
To receive more information on taking part in the food program, contact Sunshine Connections at P.O Box 803, Hays, KS 67601, or at 785-625-2093 or by email at [email protected]. Visit their website at www.sunshincon.com.