© 2024 WUOT

WUOT
209 Communications Building
1345 Circle Park Drive
University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0322
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Knoxville Child Care Providers and Officials Respond to Unused Federal Grant

Claire Heddles, WUOT News

The Tennessee Department of Human Services announced a plan this week to spend some of the $732 million in federal aid the state had put into reserves. But it’s not the only money that’s gone unspent. Last year, Tennessee was one of only two states that returned part a federal grant intended for childcare. This year, it could happen again. WUOT's Claire Heddles reports.

---

A group of toddlers is gathered around their teacher at God's Creative Enrichment Center in East Knoxville, raptly listening and pointing to the pages as they help solve the mystery. The director of the childcare center, Beverly Holland, said this place is much more than a place to park kids for the day.

"Homework, tutorials, you name it - we do it. We're not babysitters, this is not where you drop kids off and they watch TV," Holland said.

But childcare is expensive. And Holland said, while most of the parents who send their kids to the enrichment center are working, it's still hard to pull off. Tennessee receives almost $190 million dollars in federal money intended for childcare. The money could go toward payments for childcare costs for qualifying families, or toward improving care through teacher training. But in recent years, the state has been sending more than a third of this money back to the federal government.

"I could really use that. I know several agencies could really use that, I know parents could really use that money," Holland said. "It is an uneasy feeling knowing they're working and paying taxes, yet they are being taxed and there's money that is available to help them secure financial stability. That does bother you."

Tennesse's Usage of the Federal Child Care and Development Grant

Source: Data provided by the Tennessee Department of Human Services

So far this year, the state has used 65 percent of its annual federal childcare grant. State Rep. Rick Staples said the money is needed to support families and small businesses, like the childcare center Beverly Holland manages.

"If we have money that can help subsidize; not a handout, we're helping working Tennesseans function and put their child in a learning center, we have to support these businesses," Staples said. 

He also called for greater accountability for taxpayers' dollars going unspent.

"These are dollars to help people survive. You cannot have a surplus of taxpayer dollars and people have need," Staples said.

The state Department of Human Services decides how to spend the federal money. Assistant commissioner Jude White said the federal government increased the size of the grant by 50 million dollars in 2018 and the department couldn't distribute it all. She said she does not anticipate spending all of the money this year, either.

"When there's such a significant increase in the amount of money issued to state, over time you figure out what are the most meaningful ways to use those funds," White said. 

She added that there are partial state matching requirements and that fewer families are applying for the childcare support funds. But Beverly Holland said this doesn’t match the needs she sees at her child care center on a daily basis.

"I would love for everyone to get on the same team in terms of everyone understanding the impact that low-income families are going through," Holland said. "They're strictly asking for support, what we provide to parents on a daily basis."