Child care and development programs administered by the California Department of Social Services are critical for supporting California’s families with affording child care that meets their needs. Funding for child care programs has increased since the Great Recession. Given this increase, a greater proportion of children eligible for subsidized child care are being served. In 2023,14% of eligible children were enrolled in subsidized child care programs, up from 11% in 2022.
Although state investments in child care have increased enrollment in subsidized programs, the data in this chart highlights a persistent gap between supply and demand. As a result, many families still struggle to find the care they need — underscoring the urgency for state leaders to continue working to expand child care access.
- Only one in seven children eligible for subsidized care receive services. The gap between the number of children eligible for subsidized care and the number enrolled remains far too large. Given the high cost of child care, this gap means that thousands of families unable to access affordable care struggle even more to make ends meet.
- The lack of supply disproportionately impacts families of color. Namely, 55% of Black children and 48% of Latinx children in California are eligible for subsidized child care. Therefore, when there is an inadequate supply of subsidized child care, California’s families of color are disproportionately impacted.
- The demand for subsidized child care spans age groups. Namely, only ten percent of school-age children (ages 6-12) eligible for subsidized child care are enrolled. And, only 19 percent of eligible infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children are enrolled. While enrollment varies across age groups, the tremendous need for more subsidized child care slots spans ages zero to twelve.
Throughout the next several years, the administration has committed to adding approximately 77,000 more slots to fulfill his commitment of 200,000 new slots by 2027-28. However, 77,000 is insufficient for addressing the demand for subsidized child care in California, leaving families in impossible situations. Additional state and federal dollars will be necessary to fully meet the child care needs of families with low incomes.
Kristin Schumacher, a former analyst at the California Budget & Policy Center, now contributes to the organization as a consultant on various research projects.
