NORA — A new campaign from the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis is hoping to help foot the bill for families impacted by recent cuts to childcare vouchers.
It comes after this year's state budget cut funding for Indiana's Child Care and Development Fund, or CCDF, which provided vouchers to eligible families to help them pay for day care and before and after-school care.
On Wednesday, WRTV took a look at the Arthur Jordan Branch YMCA in Nora.
Carter takes part in the Pre-K program there.
"I put the stickers on," he said, laughing.
We asked him if he likes being at the YMCA.
"Yeah... that's my school," he told us with a smile.
But soon enough, some kids may not get to share Carter's experience.
“You’re gonna start to see dwindling numbers," Justin Blackstone, Chief Development Officer for the YMCA of Greater Indianapolis, said. “We’ve seen a lot of our families, those 350 that are impacted, they’re now having to make some difficult decisions.”
That's a result of the recent funding cuts. For some children, vouchers were cut by close to half.
“It’s absolutely heartbreaking because I know they need this," Yvonne Bronson, Director of Early Learning with the Jordan Branch YMCA, exclaimed.
She's seen the impact these cuts have on families.
“I have had a couple of instances where families had to, literally had to, leave their jobs and stay home," Bronson said. "They couldn’t afford to pay for the child care, after the changes, after the cuts.”
It's a scary time for many families.
“Do I pay for groceries? Do I pay for childcare? Do I stay home from work or do I stay home with my child?" Blackstone said.
Now, the YMCA is hoping to help. For the month of October, the organization has decided to pay for the before and after-school programs for affected families.
“They’re extremely happy they don’t have to worry about it so much, at least for this month," Bronson said.
However, that bill adds up to about $22,000 per week, and the YMCA knows that's not sustainable long-term.
That's why they started a campaign to raise $750,000, which would cover the costs for families for the 2025-2026 school year.
“There are so many kids across central Indiana right now who are struggling and will suffer because of this, so we hope that you step up," Blackstone said.
Donations can be made online here, or at any YMCA of Greater Indianapolis location.
