Blog 11

A recent story ran by azfamily.com discussed proposed dramatic increase in what childcare facilities pay for their licensing fee. A normal annual three year licensing fee has been a flat rate of $150 put the proposed fee increase could sky rocket some facilities fee’s as high as $13,442 depending on the number of children enrolled in that facility. The announcement of this proposal has childcare facilities struggling to find ways to deal with the proposed hike and many say that passing the cost hike onto the parents may be on the only way they may be able to stay in business. Talk about pouring salt in an already deep wound. Recently two friends of mine were told that all employees would take a 20% pay cut deduction effective immediately in hopes of saving jobs and avoiding more lay-offs and now State health care regulators want to increase the cost of childcare license fees to make up for state funding cuts. This all comes at a time when companies and business are struggling to stay afloat. Wages are being cut and benefits are being pulled which is increasing the out of pocket costs for most people. And now there is a black cloud looming over their heads that come Jan 1st 2010 they may see a significant rise in their childcare costs. With some parents who live pay check to pay check this increase could mean that something else it going to have to give in order to compensate for the rate increase. So what does this mean for single poor mothers who are already struggling to get by? Will it be food, clothing or healthcare that will have to suffer?