Survey: Delaware Families Still Struggling with Child Care, Urge Lawmakers to Invest

Following a tense and consequential election season when early care and education emerged as key issues, Delaware parents and families have a clear message for elected officials: Invest more in child care so they can work, pay their bills, and live and raise their families in Delaware.

In a recent survey, 92 percent of Delawareans said it’s extremely or very important for the state to increase investments in child care. Ninety-six percent said it’s extremely or very important that elected officials prioritize improving access to child care.

Families with young children described their lives as stressful as they pile up debt, forgo meals, and lose out on time together. “Why is it so hard?” one parent asked. “I do not recommend living in Delaware with kids,” said another.

The survey was conducted online and through in-person events in September and October 2024 by a coalition of advocacy groups including Children & Families First, the Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (deaeyc), the Delaware Readiness Teams, the First State Pre-K coalition, Rodel, and YMCA of Delaware. Hundreds of Delaware families with children ages 0-12 responded to the survey in English, Spanish, and Haitian-Creole.

Child Care is a Stressful, Financial Strain for Families

A majority of Delawareans (76 percent) said they struggle to afford child care that meets their needs, with nearly a quarter (23 percent) of respondents reporting they live in debt, at least partly because of the high cost of child care.

When considering the barriers to care, 83 percent listed cost as a primary factor—with issues like long waitlists (42 percent), concerns about quality (43 percent), adequate staffing and turnover (31 percent), and lack of nontraditional hours (23 percent) among the other concerns most frequently selected.

For families with young children, child care costs are among the highest monthly expenses, on par or more expensive than a mortgage payment or rent (58 percent), a car payment (57 percent), food (63 percent), or utilities (59 percent).

“We struggle to afford food,” shared one Delaware parent. “Daycare is almost twice as expensive as our mortgage each month. We only have one child, the only reason we cannot have more children is due to the cost of child care.”

Lack of Child Care is Hindering Delaware’s Economy and Economic Mobility for Parents

The survey results illustrate child care’s impact on Delaware’s workforce and economy.

Most respondents (54 percent) said they reduced their working hours due to a lack of child care, with many others either leaving the workforce entirely (28 percent), quitting a job (25 percent), or not pursuing a promotion (29 percent).

Some Delawareans even left the workforce or turned down promotions just to ensure their family would still qualify for publicly funded care, such as Head Start, Purchase of Care, or Early Childhood Assistance Program (ECAP).

If they could afford and access child care more easily, respondents said they would:

• Work/look for job: 19 percent
• Increase work hours: 36 percent
• Go back to school: 26 percent
• Buy a home: 22 percent

Limited Access—to Programming, Special Needs Services, and State Assistance—is Unsustainable for Families

Thirty-five percent of caregivers said they struggle to find child care that meets their needs, citing issues like transportation, language barriers, inflexible hours, and other various challenges.

Many describe the stress of living paycheck to paycheck, relying on credit cards and family favors, and sacrificing their quality of life (such as forgoing vacations and time with family) to cover child care.
Around one in five respondents (20 percent) said they have considered moving to a different state due to child care challenges.

About one-third of respondents said they are not satisfied with the availability of services for children with special needs in their area. One parent said: “Delaware is not equipped to handle special needs and there is a lack of information on programming and how to enroll your children for help. Everything is word of mouth.”

Delaware’s Spanish- and Haitian-Creole-Speaking Households Describe Unique Challenges

Respondents from Spanish- and Haitian-Creole-speaking households also painted a picture of high costs and sacrifices made around time and career options.

“Cuando lo que ganas es igual a lo que pagaría de cuidado infantil es mejor no trabajar y cuidarlos uno mismo (When what you earn is the same as what you pay for child care, it’s better to not work and care for them yourself),” said one parent.

While responses from Spanish- and Haitian-Creole-speaking households generally mirrored those from English-speaking respondents, the Spanish- and Haitian-Creole-speaking respondents were much more likely to come from lower-income households—exacerbating the financial strain caused by child care.

Gov. John Carney and state legislators have prioritized investments in early care in recent years. Budget increases have enabled more children to enroll in the state-funded pre-K program, and bolstered a state subsidy to child care centers called Purchase of Care (POC). Advocates say these incremental improvements are helpful, but much more is needed.

Delaware’s governor-elect, Matt Meyer, says he wants to “provide universal access to pre-K throughout the state by the end of [his] first term” and “make affordable, high-quality child care and early care and education accessible to all parents” according to his “Real Plans Policy Playbook.”

Advocates say Delaware’s early childhood system needs to catch up with neighboring states to better support the workforce of today and tomorrow. Delaware is ranked 25th and 41st nationally for pre-K access for three- and four-year-olds, respectively. Neighboring states like Pennsylvania (11th, 26th), New Jersey (forth, 21st), and Maryland (19th and 17th) all outperform Delaware in this metric.  

Today, only one in five Delaware children are served in state-supported child care and pre-K. Children who do not receive formal care and education miss out on critical early developmental opportunities. Research proves that experiences in developmentally appropriate high-quality child care programs have a profound impact not only on children’s development but also their success later in life.

This summer, lawmakers approved a Purchase of Care rate increase, bringing it to 100 percent of the 50th percentile of a 2024 Market Rate Study. This investment level still does not fund the true cost of care—or the federal benchmark, which is the 75th percentile of the current market rate.

Lawmakers also increased eligibility to access Purchase of Care to families earning up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, or $60,000 annually. The eligibility threshold was previously capped at 185 percent, meaning a household would have to earn less than $55,000 a year to qualify. Delaware remains the lowest among its neighbors in terms of family eligibility, with all neighboring states providing care to families at 250 percent or above—leaving many dual-income, working families stuck in the middle: earning too much to qualify for assistance but not enough to afford child care tuition in their budget.

The survey was conducted online and in-person from early-September through mid-October in 2024. It reached over 400 families, though sample sizes vary for individual questions. Approximately half of respondents were from New Castle County (46 percent). The remaining respondents were from Sussex County (36 percent) and Kent County (about 17 percent).

Quotes from Delaware Caregivers:

• “I shouldn’t have to pick between quality child care versus mortgage versus groceries versus career opportunities. Every child deserves safe, quality, affordable child care.”
   
• “Our neighboring states have had universal pre-K for all students regardless of disability in the public setting for over a decade. We are behind and missing the mark for high quality education that is accessible for all families.”
   
• “Most politicians say we need to make child care more affordable but I have yet to hear a plan or any idea on HOW they would do that. We don’t need buzz words or phrases, we need real options.”
   
• “It’s an exhausting process trying to find quality child care. Most facilities in my county, Kent, had long waitlists and we had to keep our child home for months when we first moved to Delaware.”
   
• “My husband had to cut his higher paying job to be available for child care if needed (sick, etc.) as my job has no flexibility. He had to take a 50 percent salary cut.”
   
• “For a period of time my family was on the brink of losing all state assistance: child care, medical, and a small amount of food stamps. For a while we couldn’t pursue higher paying jobs because the money would put us over the income limit to receive help, but wouldn’t pay enough to be able to afford these on our own. We went into serious credit card debt after accepting higher paying jobs that we are struggling to pay off now because daycare is more than our mortgage.”
   
• “Mtap ka travay ase poum ka pa gen det sou kredi mwn yo. (If I had access to child care, I would work more so I wouldn’t have more debt attached to what I already owe on credit.)”
   
• “There needs to be more child care centers in the area in general, but also more with flexible hours and more affordable rates that can accommodate families. As a healthcare worker whose husband just opened a business and with two children under four, it’s hard finding openings for them together, let alone affordable openings that also accommodate my odd shift hours in my position.”
   
• “Good child care centers are expensive because they invest in their employees. The state should provide incentives for centers that adequately pay and train their employees.”
   
• “Que haya más personal que hable Español. Que hagan más centros de cuidado infantil, siempre disque hay lista de espera. (It would be easier if there were more staff who speak Spanish. The state should support more child care centers, they always say there is a waiting list.)”

Visit us online at First State Pre-K, Rodel, YMCA of Delaware, Delaware Readiness Teams, Children & Families First, and deaeyc.

About Children & Families First: Children & Families First is one of Delaware’s oldest and most trusted nonprofit leaders in providing the supports and services children and their families need to thrive.Our mission is to champion children and families using evidence-based, equity-centered, and innovative approaches.

About Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (deaeyc): The Delaware Association for the Education of Young Children (deaeyc) is an affiliate of the National Association of the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), the leading membership association for those working with and on behalf of children from birth to age eight. Founded in 1969, deaeyc serves and acts on behalf of the needs, rights, and well-being of all young children and their families in Delaware. ​

About the Delaware Readiness Teams: The Delaware Readiness Teams is a statewide initiative of volunteer based teams that strengthens communities at a local level and help children from birth through age eight get ready for school and life.

About First State Pre-K: FSPK believes every child in Delaware deserves access to high-quality, affordable child care. They call on policymakers to enact high-quality universal child care and pre-K for ages zero to five in mixed delivery settings including community-based providers, center-based programs, family child care programs, Head Start, and public schools.

About Rodel: Rodel is a nonprofit organization that partners with Delawareans and educational innovators from around the world to transform public education in the First State.

About YMCA of Delaware: Founded in 1891, the YMCA is a leading nonprofit organization committed to strengthening community through youth development, healthy living, and social responsibility.