{"id":99227,"date":"2026-04-14T13:14:36","date_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/?p=99227"},"modified":"2026-04-14T13:14:39","modified_gmt":"2026-04-14T17:14:39","slug":"governor-braun-announces-200-million-investment-to-expand-child-care-affordability-and-reduce-waitlists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/?p=99227","title":{"rendered":"Governor Braun announces $200 Million investment to expand child care affordability and reduce waitlists"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<!--AUTO-AD-BEFORE-->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block\"\n        data-ad-format=\"fluid\"\n        data-ad-layout-key=\"-gw-3+1f-3d+2z\"\n        data-ad-client=\"0531879237494766\"\n        data-ad-slot=\"5600453644\"><\/ins>\n    <script>(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});<\/script>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">INDIANAPOLIS<strong>, I<\/strong>N\u2013\u00a0Today Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced an investment of $200 million to expand affordable child care. This week the State Budget Committee will review the Governor\u2019s bold decision to augment\u00a0an additional $200 million\u00a0into the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund to expand access to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIndiana\u2019s child care voucher system is more than a support program \u2014 it\u2019s an economic engine,&#8221; said\u00a0Governor Mike Braun. &#8220;When parents have access to reliable, affordable child care, they can pursue better jobs, gain new skills, and build stronger futures. And this investment isn\u2019t just for one year. It marks the start of a sustained commitment to keeping care affordable and giving families long-term confidence that the support they count on will remain in place. This investment strengthens our workforce while expanding opportunity for families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">With this funding, the state will resume enrolling CCDF voucher-eligible children and increase the number of CCDF enrollments by 14,000 to a projected level of 57,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rollout of this investment will prioritize enrollment of siblings of current voucher holders, infants, toddlers, and 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds. Additionally, a set of exemptions is created for children of foster and kinship families, children with special needs, homeless children, children of child care workers, and children of Ivy Tech students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Indiana\u2019s child care system reached a breaking point in late 2024 when temporary federal COVID\u201119 relief funding expired, putting care for more than 55,000 children in jeopardy and creating serious challenges for families, providers, and employers. The previous administration had expanded CCDF enrollment using one-time funds without a long\u2011term plan, preparing to remove children from the program as the funding cliff neared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Governor Mike Braun took office in January 2025, he rejected that course of action. Instead, he partnered with the General Assembly to secure $147 million in new state funding\u2014then\u00a0the largest single child care investment in state history\u2014ensuring every currently enrolled child could maintain access to care and preventing mass disenrollment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To ensure every taxpayer dollar is protected, at Governor Braun\u2019s direction, the Family and Social Services Administration has implemented robust, ongoing anti\u2011fraud safeguards\u2014including a significant increase in site visits and enhanced provider oversight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These efforts underscore Governor Braun\u2019s commitment to not only making child care more affordable for Hoosier families, but also to maintaining a secure, transparent, and accountable system\u2014so public resources support high\u2011quality care, not fraud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cEvery voucher is a commitment to a working family. This investment allows us to reopen access after 15 months of frozen admissions, address the most urgent needs, and put Indiana on a sustainable path forward.\u201d &#8211;\u00a0Office of Early Childhood and Out of School Learning Director Adam Alson<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSuch a significant investment in Indiana\u2019s Child Care and Development Fund is tremendous news for working families and the state\u2019s economy because no parent should have to choose between a paycheck and safe, reliable childcare. This is also welcome action for Hoosier businesses as childcare-related employee turnover and absenteeism costs employers over $3 billion annually. We look forward to partnering with the Governor and General Assembly on a sustainable funding model that keeps more Hoosiers in the workforce.&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0Indiana Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Vanessa Green Sinders<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThis FROG Fund investment is great news for Indiana and for the small businesses we represent. Affordable, reliable child care keeps parents in the workforce, and that stability is essential for employers. This commitment strengthens families, supports our workforce, and helps small businesses grow.\u201d &#8211;\u00a0National Federation of Independent Business\u200b\u200b\u200b\u200b Indiana State Director Natalie Carroll\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;The IMA supports the Braun administration&#8217;s request for an allocation of $200M from the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Grown fund for CCDF vouchers. Increasing access to affordable child care directly benefits Indiana&#8217;s workforce by allowing employees to maintain regular work schedules and seek new education and training opportunities.&#8221;<strong>\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>Indiana Manufacturers Association\u00a0President and CEO Andrew Berger<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;We see every day how hard it is for parents to work when they can\u2019t find or afford care. These new vouchers will make a real difference for thousands of families.&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0VIP Kinder College Owner\u00a0Abby Noblitt<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">&#8220;Every child deserves a start in life that sparks their curiosity and nurtures their potential. This commitment to stable, affordable child care is about more than just business; it\u2019s about ensuring every child has the strong foundation they need to thrive. It gives providers like me the confidence to hire the best educators and expand our reach, ensuring that the high-quality early learning experiences that shape a child\u2019s future are available to every single Hoosier family.&#8221; &#8211;\u00a0Co-Founder and Operations Manager at Winamac Early Learning Academy\u00a0Amy Swails<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"478\" height=\"310\" src=\"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-2.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-99228\" srcset=\"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-2.png 478w, https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/image-2-300x195.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 478px) 100vw, 478px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n<!--AUTO-AD-AFTER-->\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\" style=\"display:block;text-align:center\"\n        data-ad-format=\"autorelaxed\"\n        data-ad-client=\"0531879237494766\"\n        data-ad-slot=\"9212395598\"><\/ins>\n    <script>(adsbygoogle=window.adsbygoogle||[]).push({});<\/script>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>INDIANAPOLIS, IN\u2013\u00a0Today Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced an investment of $200 million to expand affordable child care. This week the State Budget Committee will review the Governor\u2019s bold decision to augment\u00a0an additional $200 million\u00a0into the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund to expand access to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers. \u201cIndiana\u2019s child &#8230; <a title=\"Governor Braun announces $200 Million investment to expand child care affordability and reduce waitlists\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/?p=99227\" aria-label=\"Read more about Governor Braun announces $200 Million investment to expand child care affordability and reduce waitlists\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-99227","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"Wade Weaver","author_link":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/?author=3"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":"<a href=\"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/?cat=1\" rel=\"category\">Uncategorized<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"INDIANAPOLIS, IN\u2013\u00a0Today Indiana Governor Mike Braun announced an investment of $200 million to expand affordable child care. This week the State Budget Committee will review the Governor\u2019s bold decision to augment\u00a0an additional $200 million\u00a0into the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund to expand access to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers. \u201cIndiana\u2019s child&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99227","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=99227"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99227\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99230,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99227\/revisions\/99230"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=99227"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=99227"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/masterzradio.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=99227"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}