As the government shutdown continues, paused funding is affecting many federal programs including metro daycares.
The child care reduction started about a week ago affecting parents with school-aged children from 6 years old and up.
Rainbow Fleet Early Education Director Jennifer Othmani said while the reduction in subsidy funding is not hurting them financially being that the majority of their kids are private pay, it will hurt the few who utilize DHS funding.
She said her biggest concern is safety for these kids.
“They’re going to have to worry about job security and then you’re also going to have students that are maybe left alone, that are not quite ready to be left alone because parents have decided to go to work,” said Othmani.
Rainbow Fleet has 108 kids in its childcare program ranging from six weeks to about four years old.
11 of them are DHS funded.
“While we’re blessed to have a large percentage that are actually private pay, you have some centers that don’t have that ability and that they’re not going to be able to help their kids so if they can’t pay, they’re probably not going to be able to come,” added Othmani.
She said she worries if some of the older children are left home alone, who are not ready, they could get into dangerous situations because their parents have decided to go to work.
Othmani said, “Sometimes that just happens so that is my biggest concern when it comes to the shutdown is just them not being supervised like they should be.”
