Families & Providers; united as one

Senator State Senator Fady Qaddourara and Representative Hamilton,
Thank you again for engaging with childcare providers at the recent town hall. Your willingness to listen to and discuss current CCDF issues was genuinely appreciated.
Our center remains open, but only by reducing staff hours and making temporary operational adjustments. Due to missed enrollment funding and significant reimbursement reductions, Most providers have a very short financial runway. Without the timely implementation of the CCDF funding permitted under SB 4, we will be forced to evaluate closure.
We are not alone. Providers across Indiana are reporting similar runway timelines, and some have already closed. This is not a theoretical concern — it is an unfolding workforce infrastructure issue.
As budget discussions continue, I respectfully ask that you continue to advocate prioritizing CCDF & emergency relief for providers. It will not be long before additional programs permanently close. Timing now will determine whether stabilization occurs or capacity is permanently lost.
Thank you for your continued leadership and engagement on this issue.
You have given us hope of knowing that someone out there is fighting for us!
Hooligans Learning Academy

Still fighting.
Fighting for children, fighting for families, fighting for our communities, fighting for providers.

Indiana child care providers are not only asking for future funding — we are asking for missed funding to be corrected.
Providers were instructed not to collect enrollment fees because FSSA would cover costs. Also, from October 5 to present, providers took a 65% cut and continued operating by putting payroll, supplies, and other expenses on personal credit.
As a result, many providers are now financially underwater and on the verge of bankruptcy. This is not mismanagement — it is financial harm caused by delayed CCDF funding.
Emergency CCDF funding must move fast enough to repay missed funding from October 5 forward and stabilize providers before permanent closures occur.
Rep. Craig Snow, Rep. Jeff Thompson, Speaker Todd Huston — providers need immediate action and clarity.

I am a licensed Indiana child care provider.

Without interim emergency CCDF funding, programs like mine will be forced to make closure decisions within weeks. This is not hypothetical — it is a financial reality many providers are facing right now.

Legislative timelines do not align with payroll cycles, staffing requirements, or operational costs. Once child care closes, families lose care, parents leave the workforce, and providers cannot simply reopen.

Emergency child care funding must move fast enough to prevent permanent harm.

If passed, the bill will provide as much as $300 million to Indiana's voucher program.

Garrett Bergquist News reports.🔗https://tinyurl.com/yc48nak8

🔥 Hoosier childcare providers and families —THIS is our moment. 🔥

OPPORTUNITY AND UPDATE:

After HB 1177 was heard in the House Ways and Means Committee yesterday, our staff spoke directly with Adam Alson, Director of OECOSL… and his message was loud and clear:

✅ SHOW UP. SPEAK UP. BE SEEN.

📢 He encouraged all of us to attend the Quarterly Financial Review:
📍 Indiana Government Center South – Auditorium
🗓️ Friday, January 30
⏰ 10:00 AM

He emphasized something we cannot ignore: attendance matters. Hearing rooms matter. Emails matter. Calls matter. Conversations with legislators matter.

And here’s the frustrating part… 😡
The only providers who showed up to the hearing yesterday were from OUR program.

💥 BUT — there’s also a BIG update today:
✅ An amendment was added to Senate Bill 4 and it passed, which could potentially provide additional funding for CCDF.

That’s not an accident. That’s momentum. That’s pressure working. 💪

If you’re exhausted from the damage CCDF cuts are causing—
to your families, your programs, and your community…

✨ It’s time to stand up and speak up. ✨

👊 Let’s pack the room on January 30.
💬 Let them hear us.
📍 Let them SEE us.

Let’s see how many of us are actually willing to stand up against these CCDF cuts—not just talk about it in provider groups.

The hearing on HB 1177 is tomorrow. Rep. Greg Porter is a coauthor on HB 1177 and the author of HB 1026. These bills impact our programs, our staff, and the families we serve.

📍 State House
⏰ 1:30 PM

If we don’t show up, decisions get made without us. Period. We need providers in the room and voices on the record.

💪 Strength in numbers. Show up. Speak up.

Comment if you’re attending or ready to testify 👇

Hoosier children deserve better. Better care, better education, better opportunities, and better government officials to advocate for them.

Email Senator Ryan Mishler at [email protected] or [email protected] and request a hearing on Senate Bill 84- Full funding for CCDF and On My Way PreK, restore reimbursement rates, end the waitlist, and expand eligibility.

Email Representative Jeff Thompson at [email protected]

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1BdgKdyNNv/

Find us at the Madison County Tea Party meeting tonight.

Hopeful to get some insight/ answers on where our representatives stand on CCDF and Hoosier children.

Meeting starts at 6:30 tonight at the Redbud Community Center, we would love to see some familiar faces joining us :)

32,435.

32,435 children currently sit on a waitlist for CCDF, but our Governor is more concerned with football.

Over 32,000 children within the state who are facing the consequences of these "budget cuts", yet the money is there. The state has the money to put into the CCDF program to allow families to have equal access to early care and education, legislators are CHOOSING to not use funding that is available.

Indiana child care providers serving thousands of families are on the verge of closing.

SB 84 / HB 1026 never received a public hearing — meaning parents and providers were denied the opportunity to share their experiences on the public record.

Even when legislation faces challenges, families deserve transparency and the chance to be heard.

Thank you to the bill authors, Sen. Fady Qaddoura and Rep. Greg Porter, for standing with Indiana families.

Qaddoura
Rep Porter
House Democrats
Senate Republicans
Public Broadcasting
Business Journal
Indiana

Fox News, Mike Braun, Kyle Pierce, Indiana State Representative, State Senator Fady Qaddoura, State Senator Shelli Yoder