For child care workers, state aid for their own kids' care is 'life-changing'

New Mexico's universal childcare program draws from an endowment fund and other public funds to offset the cost of running childcare centers and make care more accessible for families, with 48,000 children now receiving care at no cost. But the program's price tag is expected to continue to grow and a significant number of families still haven't gotten access to the free slots.

New Britain’s Childcare Incubator Project helps home-based child care entrepreneurs launch their businesses through in-depth training, mentorship, and support, including a transitional phase where they start offering care within a shared facility and with the guidance of an on-site coordinator. Four businesses are currently in their transitional phase, and other cities around the state are now considering replicating the program.

After the COVID-19 pandemic weakened an already fragile child-care industry, Iowa created an incentive program offering grants to help businesses build their own child-care centers or purchase slots in existing facilities. So far, the state has awarded more than $75 million, which has helped create nearly 11,000 new child-care slots.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts has invested in rebuilding its child care system by distributing grant funding to help improve employee compensation and increasing budget allocations for early childhood education, which has helped the state create more than 45,000 new child care slots. However, Massachusetts families still struggle to afford child care, even as the capacity of providers improves.

For many parents childcare can be very expensive, however, recently employers have started helping employees overcome this barrier. Little Apron Academy is a childcare center that Home Depot is partnered with and allows their employees to have an onsite care center that is also more affordable.

After a popular Alaskan tourist destination received a $1 million donation from a cruise operator, the town put the funding into expanding local child care options and was able to increase the number of licensed local child care spots by 150 percent. But there are still unmet needs in the community, and it may be difficult to maintain the level of availability without future public funding.

In 2020, New Mexico legislators created a permanent endowment fund to provide free universal child care to the state's families. As of 2025, all income limitations on the program have been lifted and the state is now serving about 45,000 children, though many more are eligible and the goal is to reach 70 percent of eligible families.

Ohio PROMISE offers free, online training to help child care providers serve children with disabilities. The program provides three levels of credentials covering inclusive care strategies including sign language, implemented sensory supports (such as weighted animals and fidget toys) creating dedicated movement rooms and developing individualized behavior plans for children with special needs.

In partnership with other local organizations and advocacy groups, Communities for Kids trains providers to offer Spanish-language childcare, as the state lacks sufficient access to culturally responsive, bilingual care. The training is free and has already licensed several individuals who now run their own Spanish-speaking childcare centers.

To help fill open teaching positions, Dutton-Brady Public Schools opened Little Diamondbacks Daycare to provide subsidized child care for school staff who often struggle to find open, affordable slots for their kids. The center also helps fill a need in the community, with some families who don’t work at the school driving from up to 40 miles away to use the daycare center.