Testimony in support of S 2459
Removing Child Support Enforcement Mandate from the Child Care Assistance Program
Senate Committee on Judicary
March 21, 2024
Divya Nair, Policy Analyst
The Economic Progress Institute supports Senator DiMario’s S 2459, which removes the requirement that families consent to and cooperate with the Department of Human Services in establishing paternity and enforcing child and medical support orders as a condition of eligibility for childcare assistance. Rhode Island parents want and need to participate in the workforce, and they deserve affordable child care to make that possible. The Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) helps working families pay for child care. It is a critical program that enables low- and moderate- income families participate in the workforce and/or attend vocational training or higher education. However, too many vulnerable families are being excluded from CCAP due to the child support enforcement mandate.
Rhode Island is one of only nine states that mandate establishing a child support order as a condition of receiving Child Care Assistance (CCAP). No other education program – Pre-K or K-12 education – has this requirement, nor do other work supports like SNAP. This requirement is antiquated, often creates unnecessary and lasting turmoil between co-parents, and is not in the best interest of the child. It is time to eliminate this barrier to affordable child care.
Rhode Island’s child support cooperation mandate for CCAP prevents and deters single-parent households from accessing the affordable childcare they need. Our economy needs families to get back to work – we should make sure that accessing child care is as easy as possible so that families can do just that. The Economic Progress Institute strongly urges passage.