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School Readiness in Florida: How We Can Close the Gaps
April 04, 2025
Ensuring Florida’s working families have access to affordable, quality child care is essential to bolstering our workforce and strengthening Florida’s economy. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s policy research report, School Readiness in Florida: How We Can Close the Gaps, examines the case for State Median Income in Child Care Tuition Assistance Eligibility. This change will ensure that more Florida families can access the early childhood education they need.
Key findings on the need to expand Florida’s School Readiness program eligibility:
Florida’s Working Families Are Struggling to Access Affordable Child Care:
Child care costs are the number one reason why working parents in Florida with children under six years old quit their jobs.
281,621 Floridians reported not working in the past year to take care of a child, exacerbating the state’s talent shortage, where only about 90 Floridians are looking for work for every 100 open jobs.
Under the current system, Florida’s School Readiness program limits eligibility to families earning up to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). For a family of four, this amounts to an annual income of $46,800. However, this threshold excludes many working families struggling with rising living costs.
Shifting Eligibility to State Median Income: A Solution for More Families:
Shifting eligibility from Federal Poverty Level to State Median Income would ensure families earning slightly above the Federal Poverty Level, but still facing financial challenges, have access to child care assistance.
Research shows that child care costs consume 20-30% of household income in Florida, which exceeds the cost of in-state college tuition by nearly $8,400 annually.
By setting eligibility at 65% of the State Median Income, 72,000 additional families could qualify for the program, and it is estimated that 15,840 of those families would participate, benefiting 27,500 children in early learning programs.
Expanding Access to Support Florida’s Future Workforce:
Expanding the eligibility for School Readiness aligns with Florida’s broader economic goals by ensuring all children receive the early learning opportunities they need.
By shifting to State Median Income as the eligibility threshold, we can provide essential support for families, help reduce childhood poverty, and set Florida’s children on the path to success.
Ensuring Florida’s working families have access to affordable, quality child care is essential to bolstering our workforce and strengthening Florida’s economy. The Florida Chamber Foundation’s policy research report, School Readiness in Florida: How We Can Close the Gaps, examines the case for State Median Income in Child Care Tuition Assistance Eligibility. This change will ensure that more Florida families can access the early childhood education they need.