Right now in Indiana, more than 30,000 children—most of them living below the federal poverty line—are stuck on a growing waitlist for child care vouchers. And unless something changes, they’ll be waiting until at least 2027 before they can access the care they urgently need.

The Indiana Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) has frozen new enrollment in the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) and On My Way Pre-K programs as a cost-saving measure. But this budget decision is coming at the expense of our most vulnerable children—and their working families.

The freeze has already caused devastating ripple effects. Infant voucher enrollment is down 95%. Providers are closing. And parents who used to rely on state assistance now face impossible choices: leave their jobs, pay more than they can afford, or entrust their kids to unsafe alternatives.

This isn’t sustainable. It’s not moral. And it doesn’t reflect Indiana values.

We call on Governor Eric Doden and the Indiana General Assembly to act immediately to restore funding for child care vouchers. That means:

• Allocating emergency supplemental funding to reopen voucher enrollment before 2027
• Protecting existing providers from further reimbursement rate cuts
• Ensuring no child is denied access to care due to arbitrary budget freezes

Child care is not a luxury. It’s a lifeline for parents trying to work, kids trying to grow, and providers trying to stay open. We urge our state leaders to step up and fix this crisis—because our kids can’t afford to wait two more years for care.

Sign this petition if you believe every child deserves access to safe, affordable care—now, not later.