Indiana budget cuts threaten On My Way Pre-K
Indiana is slashing statewide funding for its pre-kindergarten program and advocates say it could reverse years of growth in supporting its most vulnerable children prepare for school.
On My Way Pre-K provides state vouchers for quality, free preschool for 4-year-olds from income-eligible families.
Earlier this month, the Family and Social Services Administration announced it trimmed back the program because of a state budget shortfall.
Former Gov. Mike Pence signed legislation establishing the program as a pilot in 2014 and heralded its enrollment. Pence later flip-flopped back and forth on his willingness to take federal dollars saying he didn't like the 'strings attached.'
Under former Gov. Eric Holcomb, the program expanded statewide in 2019. With a voucher, children can attend participating private and public preschools authorized by the state.
Last year, the FSSA said On My Way Pre-K increased enrollment to about 6,200 students, with federal funding assistance.
By June, the FSSA said it would limit available seats in the program to 2,500 in the wake of a 10% budget cut.
Since 2017, the FSSA's Child Care and Development Fund has been a funding stream for On My Way to Pre-K, but recently it saw a funding decrease and now has a waitlist of 18,000 children waiting for an available subsidy.
GOP lawmakers pushed through early education cuts when a $2 billion budget deficit loomed because of a lowered revenue growth outlook, under President Donald Trump.
When the session began in January, Gov. Mike Braun sought $369 million for the Child Care and Development Fund and the doubling of funding for On My Way Pre-K. He also wanted to eliminate the CCDF waitlist.
The cuts worried early education providers and rankled one local House member.
'It's going to be impactful to a lot of children who won't have access,' said Karen Carradine, Head Start Geminus Vice President of Early Childhood Services.
Carradine said the state cuts won't impact Head Start but will make a big dent in state provider funding.
'It will tremendously reduce state vouchers and the funding to pay for the vouchers. In On My Way Pre-K, they've changed the rules,' she said explaining providers will have to pay 5%, possibly out-of-pocket.
'That's a big hurdle and children will get 46 weeks, instead of 52 they have to attend.
'I feel providers will be looking at how many they can serve. And at the end of the day, it comes down to dollars and cents,' she said.
The Gary Community School Corp. offers an On My Way Pre-K program at its Bethune Early Childhood Development Center.
Superintendent Yvonne Stokes said the district still isn't sure of the impact.
'We are committed to supporting any affected families by identifying other resources and means to help fill the gaps of any shortages,' she said.
Meanwhile, state Rep. Carolyn Jackson, D-Hammond, voiced concern Monday about the impact of the On My Way to Pre-K cuts.
'Over 85% of 4-year-olds in Indiana do not have access to preschool. On My Way Pre-K is already an extremely limited program to help the most vulnerable afford to send their children to pre-K.
'Now, 3,500 fewer Hoosier children will likely not be able to enroll in pre-K because their families cannot afford it without the voucher.'
Jackson, a member of the House Family, Children and Human Affairs Committee, said the financial incentive for providers to accept On My Way Pre-K vouchers decreased up to 46% in Lake County.
'Reducing this incentive will reduce class sizes even more. Families who desperately want to give their child a leg up with early childhood education are being left high and dry,' said Jackson who added Indiana was one of six states that don't fund universal Pre-K.
'If pre-K is a luxury that only wealthy families in well-off suburbs can afford, children living in underserved communities will be hurt the most,' said Jackson.
She criticized Republican lawmakers for cuts to early childhood education, but still green-lighting $1.2 billion to expand private school vouchers.
'This is not about fiscal responsibility. This does not help working Hoosiers. This policy is harmful for children, families and our economy,' Jackson said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
2 hours ago
- The Hill
Thune faces pressure from right flank
The Big Story The Senate version of legislation to enact President Trump's agenda is hitting new turbulence as conservatives led by Sens. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) are demanding deeper spending cuts to address the nation's $2.2 trillion annual deficit. © The Associated Press Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has focused this week on addressing the concerns of Senate GOP colleagues such as Sens. Josh Hawley (Mo.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska), who raised alarms about cuts to federal Medicaid spending. But Thune has to worry about his right flank as Johnson and his allies are threatening to hold up the bill unless GOP leaders agree to deeper cuts to federal Medicaid spending and a faster rollback of the renewable energy tax credits enacted under former President Biden. Johnson, Lee and Scott are threatening to vote as a bloc against the bill next week unless it undergoes significant changes. Thune plans to bring the bill to the floor Wednesday or Thursday next week, but he may not have enough votes to proceed on the legislation, Republican senators say. The Hill's Alex Bolton has more here. Welcome to The Hill's Business & Economy newsletter, I'm Sylvan Lane — covering the intersection of Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads Key business and economic news with implications this week and beyond: Trump: 'Maybe I'll have to change my mind' about firing Powell President Trump on Friday floated the possibility of firing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as part of his latest round of intense criticism of the leader of the central bank over its decision not to lower interest rates. 1 in 3 baby boomers say they'll never sell home: Redfin About a third of baby boomers who own their homes don't expect to ever part with them, according to a new poll. NTSB recommends quick modifications to 737 Max engines The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Wednesday recommended that Boeing modify the engines on 737 Max planes due to a safety problem caused by bird strikes. Nearly 1,000 ships see GPS jams near Iran coast, group says Nearly 1,000 ships have experienced 'persistent and sometimes severe' GPS signal jams every day the past week near Iran as the country continues to face bombardment from Israel's military, a French naval monitoring firm warned Friday. The Ticker Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: In Other News Branch out with more stories from the day: Senate parliamentarian deals blow to GOP plan to gut consumer bureau in tax bill WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans suffered a sizable setback Friday on one key aspect of President Donald … Good to Know Business and economic news we've flagged from other outlets: What Others are Reading Top stories on The Hill right now: Senate parliamentarian knocks pieces out of Trump's megabill Senate Parliamentarian Elizabeth MacDonough has ruled that several key pieces of the massive bill to implement President Trump's agenda run afoul of the Byrd Rule and must be taken out of the package to allow it to pass with a simple majority vote on a special procedural fast track. Read more Supreme Court rules against FDA, EPA 12:30 Report is The Hill's midday newsletter. Subscribe here or using the box below: Read more You're all caught up. See you next week! Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Trump admin shortens ACA enrollment window
The Trump administration on Friday narrowed the period to sign up for Affordable Care Act coverage and imposed other restrictions aimed at rolling back Biden-era flexibilities for the program. Why it matters: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services expects the new policies to lower marketplace premiums by about 5% on average, and save taxpayers $12 billion next year. But between 725,000 and 1.8 million people are expected to lose coverage, per CMS's projections. The big picture: Congress is considering codifying many of the same provisions in the massive GOP budget bill that's now in the Senate. That would make them much harder for a future administration to undo. State of play: CMS is shortening the period for enrolling in marketplace insurance by two weeks, starting for plan year 2027. Federal exchanges will then be open for sign-ups from Nov. 1 through Dec. 31 of each year. It's also repealing the monthly opportunity started under the Biden administration for lower-income people to get marketplace coverage. The new rule limits plans' ability to cover gender-affirming care beginning next year. It also excludes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients from obtaining ACA coverage. CMS said the policies will ensure federal subsidies to offset the cost of ACA coverage only support statutory goals of the law. Yes, but: In response to public comments, CMS is making several of its changes temporary. For plan year 2026 only, CMS will begin charging a $5 monthly premium for consumers who are automatically reenrolled in an ACA plan from one year to the next and would otherwise have fully subsidized coverage. Other changes concerning income verification for enrollees will also end after 2026. Between the lines: Insurance losses from the new policy will be felt hardest in states where "erroneous and improper enrollment is most noticeable," including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah, CMS said.
Politico
2 hours ago
- Politico
Bush 43 alum joins ‘shadow' RNC
With Daniel Lippman FIRST IN PI: Marc Racicot, the former Montana governor and RNC chair, is joining Our Republican Legacy as chair, lending his voice to the organization as it expands efforts to grow grassroots support for the pre-MAGA era of the GOP ahead of the midterms next year and presidential election in 2028. — Racicot joins former Sens. John Danforth and William Cohen, two founding chairs of the nonprofit that bills itself as the inheritor of true Republican Party values. Former Reps. Charlie Dent and Barbara Comstock are also being elevated to chairs as the organization seeks to grow its foothold in all 50 states. — 'There are a lot of good people that can come back into the fold, we just have to have the time and the messaging to work with them and show them what's going on,' Racicot told PI. — Racicot, who left public service after successfully managing President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign, went on to spend four years as the president of the American Insurance Association (now known as the American Property Casualty Insurance Association). — 'We're building a 50-state national committee, basically a shadow version of the party,' Our Republican Legacy senior adviser Chris Vance told PI, while emphasizing that the organization is not a PAC and will not be endorsing specific candidates or making donations. — 'Maybe we, at some point, will form a PAC,' Vance said. 'But right now we are an advocacy group, like the NRA is an advocacy group, the Sierra Club, all these different organizations. They can't say the magic words — elect, donate, that sort of thing — but they still have a very big political impact by fighting for their ideas.' Happy first Friday of Summer and welcome to PI. This is Daniel (no, not that one) and I'm your guest host today. Send tips and recommendations on how to beat the heat this weekend to dbarnes@ or ping me on Signal. And follow me on X: @dnlbrns. Caitlin will be back on Monday. You can always reach her on Signal, email her at coprysko@ and follow her on X: @caitlinoprysko. BURR LOBBYING FOR BIOTECH: Former Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) will represent the Biotechnology Innovation Organization on issues related to drug pricing and supply chains, Medicare and Medicaid and reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, POLITICO's Amanda Chu reports. Burr is currently health policy chair at DLA Piper. FRIENDS IN HIGH PLACES: Gaurav Srivastava, the Indian American businessperson who last year had major donations to Democrats frozen or returned after allegations he had posed as a spy for the CIA, now appears to be trying to curry favor with top Republicans, Daniel L. reports. — Srivastava on Thursday posted a photo he recently took with Vice President JD Vance, adding in a caption, 'Pleasure seeing Vice President @JDVance during last week's event in #WashingtonDC as we work towards strengthening America's future!' — The photo was taken at the performance of 'Les Misérables' at the Kennedy Center that President Donald Trump and Vance attended along with a slew of other senior administration and Republican figures. — 'Thousands of people were at the Kennedy Center that evening, and the Vice President took photos with many of them,' a spokesperson for Vance said in a statement to PI. A spokesperson for Srivastava did not provide a comment. Srivastava has disputed the 'fake spy' allegations in the past. — Earlier this year, Srivastava also had lunch with Hunter Biden, according to photos the Daily Mail snapped. — In 2023, the FBI reportedly began investigating Srivastava and where he got his money. Srivastava has been engaged in a long-running battle with Dutch oil trader Niels Troost after their business relationship went sour. An FBI spokesperson declined to comment on the status of the investigation. FOUL-MOUTH FAIN: 'In a scathing report from a court-appointed union watchdog, UAW President Shawn Fain is depicted as a foul-mouthed, hotheaded leader,' Liam Rappleye reports in the Detroit Free Press. — The 93-page report makes several references to 'a moment where Fain told hundreds of UAW members at a large staff meeting that he would 'slit' or 'cut' their throats if they messed with his closest aides.' — 'In another anecdote — which Fain admitted to be true — the UAW president confronted a print shop employee and launched into a 'tirade' upon hearing that [UAW Secretary-Treasurer Margaret Mock] wanted a photo of herself to appear alongside Fain on a pamphlet outlining details of an ongoing bargaining campaign.' — 'Fain reportedly confronted the Head of the Print Shop in a tirade, demanding, among other things, that she tell him, 'Who told you to put [Mock's] motherf------ photo on there? This is my motherf------ membership.'' SPOTTED at the Rainey Center's 'Tea Party Revival: Don't Tax the Light' at Butterworth's on Wednesday night: Citizen Solutions Inc.'s Tomer Kagan, National Nuclear Security Administration's Charles Moran, RNC's CJ Pearson, Log Cabin Republicans' Ed Williams, Andre Soriano, TSG Advocates' Chase Kroll, Rainey Center's Sarah Hunt, Chet Love and Connor Sandagata, Foundation for American Innovation's Zach Graves, Latinos for America First's Bianca Gracia, HHS' Gregory Angelo, Fox News' Ryan Schmelz, Treasury's Shane Shannon and Dean Ball of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Jobs report — The Modular Building Institute has added Alex Carmack as government affairs director, Andrew Muchnick as government affairs manager and Chastity Meade as communications manager. Carmack joins from the United Network for Organ Sharing where he worked as a policy analyst. Muchnick was previously a senior director in Bullpen Strategy Group's media intelligence practice. Meade was a community manager and social media manager for the MIT Sloan CIO Symposium. — Mike Spratt has joined the Investment Company Institute as an associate general counsel from the SEC where he previously was assistant director in the division of investment management disclosure review. — The American Land Title Association has promoted three members of their government relations staff. Elizabeth Blosser has been appointed chief strategy, communications and innovation officer. She was previously vice president of government affairs overseeing state advocacy. Emily Tryon has been promoted to chief advocacy officer. She was previously vice president of government affairs managing federal advocacy. Kevin Cameron takes on a new title as vice president, head of federal government affairs. He was previously senior director of federal government affairs. — Gregory Cox is the new executive director of the office of government relations at Texas Christian University. He was most recently an attorney in private practice and is a Greg Abbott alum. — Brett Tolman is the new chair for law and justice at America First Policy Institute. He previously served as chair of AFPI's weaponization of government initiative. — CropLife America has added Tonya Parish as senior manager of communications and government relations. Parish was previously communications manager for the Alliance for Automotive Innovation. She is joined at CropLife by Jay Ivey, new manager of government relations. He was previously state outreach and public affairs coordinator at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. New Joint Fundraisers Blue Dog Victory Fund (Cooke for Congress, Rep. Jared Golden, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp, Rep. Vicente Gonzalez, Rep. Lou Correa, Rep. Adam Gray, Rep. Sanford Bishop, Rep. Jim Costa, Rep. Henry Cuellar, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, Rep. Mike Thompson) New PACs American Fidelity PAC (Super PAC) BDA PAC (Hybrid PAC) Founding Father's Vision PAC (Hybrid PAC) DraftKings Inc. Political Action Committee DBA DraftKings PAC (PAC) Fire Fetterman (Super PAC) Archer Aviation Inc. Political Action Committee (AKA Archer PAC) (PAC) MAGA KY (Super PAC) Lunatic Fringe Political Action Committee (PAC) New Lobbying REGISTRATIONS Axadvocacy Government Relations: 503 Capital Partners Ballard Partners: Transportation Management Services Boundary Stone Partners: Mantel Capture, Inc Boundary Stone Partners: National Carbon Technologies, LLC Brightspring Health Services: Brightspring Health Services Continental Strategy, LLC: Cm Consortium LLC Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Auto-Mark, Inc. Dba Sea Foam Sales Company Covenant Government Affairs, LLC: Royal Engineering And Consulting, LLC. Cruce Capitol Consulting LLC: American Sugar Cane League Of The USa, Inc. Dga Group Government Relations LLC: Kyowa Kirin Inc, USa DLA Piper LLP (US): Biotechnology Innovation Organization Ervin Graves Strategy Group, LLC: Hereford Ethanol Partners, L.P. Hogan Lovells US LLP: Artanis Capital, LLC J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): Aimpoint US J.A. Green And Company (Formerly LLC): American Center For Manufacturing & Innovation Federal General LLC Javelin Advisors LLC: Fred Daibes Lilette Advisors: Rf Catalytic Capital Lilette Advisors: Vale USa LLC Mercury Public Affairs, LLC: Sentinelone Inc. Michael Best Strategies LLC: Charter Casting Michael Best Strategies LLC: Dairyland Power Cooperative Michael Best Strategies LLC: Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. L.P. (Kkr) Michael Best Strategies LLC: Maxar Intelligence Michael Best Strategies LLC: Tricolor Holdings Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough: United Opticians Association Park Strategies, LLC: Global Dairy Distributors LLC Steptoe LLP: Lake Charles Methanol Ii, LLC The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Momentum Solutions The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Sunation Energy The Mckeon Group, Inc.: Umo & National Association Of Ukrainian Defense Industries (Naudi) The Vogel Group: Allentown, Inc The Vogel Group: Auto Approve The Vogel Group: Canadian National Railway The Vogel Group: Contingency Capital The Vogel Group: Graftech International Ltd. The Vogel Group: William Tierney Venn Strategies: Ohio Coating Company New Lobbying Terminations Accelerate Strategies: Sports And Fitness Industry Association Cgcn Group, LLC: National Oilseed Processors Association Ess Tech, Inc.: Ess Tech, Inc. Forbes-Tate: Crestview Strategies Obo Teknion Forbes-Tate: Ginkgo Bioworks Forbes-Tate: Lykos Therapeutics Lot Sixteen LLC: North Star Manganese, Inc. Ms. Virginia Ainslie: American Geophysical Union
