On March 2, President Obama signed a short-term Continuing Resolution (CR) that is set to expire on March 18, 2011. This CR provides level funding to nearly all government programs and avoided a possible federal government shutdown. However, the new CR also provides approximately $4 billion in cuts from FY 2010 levels. Funding for the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act children and family service programs was reduced by $21 million. These funds are used to support child abuse prevention and treatment programs as well as other social services to vulnerable children and families. The impact of these federal cuts, combined with the state reductions facing most states beginning July 1, 2011, will reduce further the weak resources available to children and their families.
Amid the significant cuts being sought through H.R. 1 is $1 billion in child care, head start, and early head start funding. Preliminary estimates indicate that over 368,000 children will be impacted by these reductions in FFY 2011. For states already having to make tough choices about how to support child care with required state funds, absorbing additional costs and investments for child care is unlikely. Child care advocates predict that more parents will lose subsidized child care slots, forcing parents to have to leave employment and rely on the meager state benefits that exist.
House and Senate leaders continue to debate their differences on the FY 2011 budget; another agreement or CR will have to be agreed upon by March 18.
About Kay Casey
Kay Casey has over 20 years of experience in federal and state child welfare policy and programs, having worked for the federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Florida Department of Children and Families prior to joining PCG. She is responsible for the review and assessment of fiscal processing systems that impact a state’s ability to identify, document, and report expenditures for federal reporting purposes accompanied with the programmatic impact on the state’s system of care.
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