Dear friends,

I’m sure you received the notice from DECCD about the temporary hold on CCPP starting on April 1. This plus the recently imposed mandate that CCPP providers participate in QSS combine to threaten the very existence of our state’s child care assistance program. 

The terrible truth is this doesn’t have to happen.

MDHS has plenty of unused TANF funds they could use to cover the costs of continuing services to MS families. We have provided this memo outlining how this is not only federally allowable, but also done by several states. One state – Ohio – has offered to talk with MDHS about how they can do this.

This couldn’t happen at a worse time. Employers in MS report their ability to hire is hampered by the lack of affordable child care. CCPP makes child care affordable. State leaders want to improve the labor force participation rate. This will have an adverse impact on the state’s labor force participation rate.

We will continue to urge MDHS to utilize the funds they have to avoid this disastrous move. We urge you to join us in urging MDHS to use unspent TANF funds to avoid this disruption in CCPP.

We need to prevent this from eviscerating the CCPP program.

Please be sure you’ve registered for the MDHS town hall on April 2 to discuss this. We are also planning a CCLT zoom meeting on April 3 at 1 p.m. to talk about what this means for providers and parents and what we can do about it. Please plan to join our call. Zoom details are below.

Thanks,

Carol Burnett

MLICCI is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: CCLT Meeting

Time: Apr 3, 2025 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86001143259

Meeting ID: 860 0114 3259

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 By Telephone:

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MLICCI Policy Brief: Using TANF Funds for Child Care Assistance

Mississippi’s significant reserve of unspent TANF funds presents a transformative opportunity to address the state’s looming child care subsidy crisis. By adopting a dual strategy of transferring TANF funds to CCDF and directly funding additional child care subsidies through the CCPP using TANF funds, MDHS can sustain access to affordable child care for thousands of families and create opportunities to expand access in the future. Leveraging these funds for child care strategically aligns with TANF’s purpose of promoting work and family stability, ensures the efficient use of federal resources, and addresses critical needs in Mississippi’s communities.