A new report ranks Indiana low among states in providing government subsidized child care to working families. The report by the National Women's Law Center advocacy group says Indiana has an income eligibility cutoff lower than all but two states and a waiting list of nearly 4,800 families this year.
However, the Family and Social Services Administration says some of the data in the report is not current and that its eligibility thresholds are more lenient than reported. And the number waiting for subsidized child care is still much lower than the 12,000 waiting for care in 2001.
The advocacy group wants to use the report to gain support in the General Assembly for a state tax credit for money spent on the care of children and other dependents, including the elderly.