Orange County NC Website
Browse       Search
1 <br /> Child Care Subsidy Monthly Report <br /> April 2025 <br /> Background <br /> Orange County's Department of Social Services provides child care subsidy and social casework <br /> services for families, including information and referral services to help parents determine <br /> appropriate child care placements. The objectives of this program are to: <br /> • Provide subsidies for high quality child care for low-income working families, children <br /> involved in child welfare cases, and other at-risk children in Orange County. <br /> • Assure that eligible employed parents wait less than six months to receive child care subsidy. <br /> • Utilize all available federal and state funds to support child care needs of local children. <br /> During Covid beginning in 2020, additional State and Federal funds were available for child care <br /> subsidy. These funds have been exhausted and State and Federal funds in child care subsidy have <br /> returned to pre-Covid amounts. In 2022, the market rate for child care was adjusted, resulting in <br /> significant increases in costs for care. In 2019, the DSS share for a child receiving subsidy <br /> averaged around $700 per month. The current average is closer to $1,200 per month. Orange <br /> County continues to have some of the highest market rates for child care in the State of North <br /> Carolina. <br /> Due to this increase in costs and reduction of funds in child care subsidy, Orange County is <br /> unable to serve the same numbers of children using State and Federal funds as in previous years. <br /> Social Services therefore began a waiting list on September 1, 2024 for parents who are working <br /> or receiving training. On October 1, 2024 the Board of County Commissioners authorized ending <br /> parent fees November 30, 2024 and made funds available to remove a number of children from <br /> the waiting list each month to prevent excessive wait times. <br /> Waiting List and Children Served <br /> The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services is still requiring all counties <br /> spending at high levels, including Orange, to have a waiting list for state funding for non-priority <br /> groups (children subject to the waiting list policy).At its height, the waiting list had more than <br /> 90 children. In December, we made the decision to eliminate the waiting list temporarily due to <br /> County fund availability,natural attrition, and the pace of enrollment of families previously on <br /> the waiting list. All waiting parents were contacted to begin enrollment in child care subsidy. We <br /> are currently accepting new applicants without a waiting list. We are continuing to monitor <br /> spending and do not currently anticipate a waiting list for FY2024-25. <br /> Since December, we have added 57 children to County funds. February and March saw our first <br /> declines of the year in children enrolled in State child care subsidy so staff will be moving some <br /> County-funded children to State and Federal funding sources. April data is not showing in the <br /> chart below since the State numbers are not yet available. <br />