Trump Child Care Proposal Funds Stay-At-Home Parents

The Trump administration has drafted a proposal to pay some stay-at-home parents with federal child care funds. The plan aims to directly compensate eligible married couples where one parent stays home to raise their children. ^[1]

The Stay-at-Home Parent Child Care Subsidy Proposal originated in the White House. It would pull money from the Child Care and Development Fund. This program currently gives about $9,000 per child each year directly to commercial child care providers.

“Unmarried couples and unemployed single parents will not qualify for the funds.”

Families must meet strict rules to qualify for the new payments. They must be married, meet state income limits, and have one spouse working at least 35 hours per week. Unmarried couples and unemployed single parents will not qualify for the funds.

Supporters argue the current system is unfair to families who do not use commercial day care. “Parents who hand their kids to commercial day care get subsidy payments, while parents who bear the toil, expense and opportunity cost of raising their kids at home currently get zero,” said Roger Severino, vice president at the Heritage Foundation.

Severino also defended the rule limiting the benefit to married couples. “Our government provides better treatment to marriage all over law and policy because marriage, on average, provides better outcomes for kids,” Severino wrote.

Expanding the program could stretch limited resources. Currently, nearly 80% of families using these child care subsidies are single working parents. White House officials have not said if they will ask Congress for more money to cover the new proposal.