As a mother of two young children, I know the struggles of affording quality childcare. With the cost of owning a home, debt payments, and general necessities, it becomes increasingly difficult to maintain a decent quality of life. 

Currently in Iowa, daycare assistance through the state is only available if your income is no more than 160% of the federal poverty level. This leaves many families who earn just above this limit without any support or benefits. The current system does not adequately serve our working-class families who are barely making ends meet.

According to data from Child Care Aware America, in Iowa alone, the average annual cost for infant care can be as high as $9,485 per child. For many families in our state who are just above the poverty line but still struggling financially, these costs can be overwhelming.

We propose that Iowa reforms its childcare assistance program by raising income eligibility limits and providing sliding scale benefits so that more hardworking families can receive support they need for childcare expenses. This change will not only benefit individual families but also stimulate our local economy by allowing more parents to work and shop locally as they may not have been able to do previously. 

Please join us in calling on our lawmakers to reform Iowa's childcare assistance program so it better supports all working-class families in our state. Sign this petition today!