U.S. Plan Would Extend Child Care Subsidies to Stay-at-Home Parents
The Trump administration is considering a plan to provide child care subsidies to married families when one parent stays home to care for their children, using federal funds currently designated for working parents.
The proposal, viewed as a priority of Vice President JD Vance, could draw from roughly $12 billion in Child Care and Development funding administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The program currently helps low- and middle-income working, student or training parents cover child care costs.
Under the proposed rules, married couples within certain income limits could qualify if one spouse works at least 35 hours a week while the other remains at home to care for the children. Families currently receive an average of about $9,000 per child annually in subsidies.
About 870,000 families currently receive the assistance, supporting child care costs for roughly 1.3 million children. Around 80% of participating families have a single working parent, most of them mothers.
Family policy experts warn that expanding eligibility without increasing funding could make subsidies harder to obtain for working and single parents. They also fear reduced funding for child care providers could force some centers to close, as about 225,000 child care providers nationwide rely on the subsidies.
The proposal would not extend the benefit to unmarried couples with a stay-at-home parent or unemployed single parents.
The plan has not been finalized. Following White House approval, it is expected to be released for public comment and could take effect next year.
Some administration lawyers have also raised legal concerns, including whether limiting the benefit to married couples would be lawful and whether direct payments to individuals could increase the risk of fraud.
