Cuts to state aid for child care have left Island families and early childhood workers struggling to develop new ways to subsidize programs here.

“We do have a suspicion that unless we can figure out a local solution . . . fewer children will [have access to child care],” said Ann Palches, early childhood coordinator for the Martha’s Vineyard Public Schools, who added: “This is a statewide issue, not just a Vineyard issue.”

The funding issues date back several years, when the state began to streamline child care support. Funding for child care originally came from a number of different sources, including the Department of Social Services and the Child Care Resource and Referral Network. The state formed the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) in 2005 to consolidate these different sources.

According to Ms. Palches, the consolidation “theoretically would mean that more money would go to kids and families.” But the economic downturn led to reduced funding for almost all state agencies, including the EEC.

Eligibility requirements for state aid for child care have become much more stringent, leaving families who once qualified for assistance with few options to pay for child care. “You have to be pretty low income [to be eligible for state aid],” said Ms. Palches. Even for those eligible for assistance, the state is paying less for subsidized child care.

In the past year, state budget cuts have seen the end of Island child care assistance programs such as the Vineyard Affordable Child Care project, which began in 1993 through a statewide grant known as the Community Partnerships for Children program. The Vineyard Affordable Child Care Project continued to grow over the years, until it was bringing in close to $400,000 per year in grant money.

The money was used both to subsidize preschool education costs for families who could not afford the expense and to fund professional development and training for child care workers. “It was almost an economic stimulus package to get families working . . . and to make sure that children had access to high quality child care.”

The program began to be phased out when the state began its consolidation efforts for child care programming. With the recession, grant funding for the Vineyard Affordable Child Care program had completely dried up by the spring of 2009.

Vineyard child care programs do still get some money, though not nearly as much as they once did. And stricter eligibility rules are preventing many families in need from receiving assistance. “Statewide, in order to be eligible [for assistance] you have to be at or below 50 per cent of the state median income,” said Debbie Milne, director of early childhood programs for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services.

The formula does not take into account the higher cost of living in a particular area such as the Vineyard. “For a family of four, your annual income has to be at or below $44,670 gross.”

The full-time preschool program at community services costs $245 per week, or close to $13,000 per year. “It’s expensive for people to pay for child care,” said Ms. Milne. “It’s also really expensive to run child care. Even at community services, [the weekly fee] does not cover the cost of child care.”

She continued: “It is unfortunate because the state budget overall is so tight . . . they are really focusing the funding on low-income families, where in the past, a couple years ago, they were also providing the funding for middle-income families. [But] everybody struggles to pay child care. It’s a lot of money . . . Some people who need help are just not eligible.”

According to Ms. Milne, some of the schools that accepted subsidies from the Vineyard Affordable Child Care project agreed to keep children receiving aid in the program until they graduated, even after the funding had dried up. But no new children on the Island received funding after mid-November of last year.

Ms. Milne said that program directors have not noticed a significant decline in enrollment in preschool programs since the funding was cut, but have noticed more children enrolled part-time as opposed to full-time.

“I think it’s too soon to see the full impact of this,” said Ms. Palches, of the effects on the Vineyard community.

“I don’t have hard numbers for this, [but] there are families not using child care programs because they can’t afford it.”

Now, the Martha’s Vineyard Council for Young Children is looking for local funding as an alternative to state money.

“It’s really helpful to have the community come up with its own solution and not depend on the state budget because the money is just getting tighter and tighter,” said Ms. Milne.

The council will hold its next meeting on Oct. 14 to discuss the status of child care funding on the Island and future plans for raising funds.

“There is still a lot going on to support the quality of early education and care,” said Ms. Palches. “We’re a small place. We should be able to solve this problem locally and collaboratively.”