Written by Eboni Delaney, Interim Director of Policy and Movement Building, NAFCC
“I want to know what I can do to get more Indiana family child care educators involved.”
For the past seven years, Deondra Stewart has provided steady and reliable care to children and families in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She operates a family child care program that families trust. Her work offers the kind of consistency that helps parents maintain employment, manage life transitions, and keep their households stable. The environment she has built is a support system shaped by relationships, reliability, and a deep commitment to the families she serves.
This year, that stability is being tested by statewide changes to the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers, which are federally funded and state-managed. Indiana has significantly reduced reimbursement rates, creating financial strain for both families and educators. Assistance has been cut by as much as 98 percent in some cases, with subsidy amounts that no longer reflect the actual cost of care. One educator in Deondra’s area now receives six dollars per week for a school-age child. These reductions have forced family child care programs to reconsider whether they can continue serving families who rely on vouchers, placing them in a difficult position of searching for new care options in a limited market.
Deondra is seeing the impact firsthand. Educators in her area are now sharing that they would rather not accept CCDF vouchers because the new rates do not cover the cost of food, materials, or staffing needed to run a program. She understands the financial reality, but she also understands the impact these decisions have on families. Deondra has chosen to continue accepting vouchers, even when the funding falls short, because she knows the importance of stable, familiar care environments. As she explains, “Some parents faced providers who decided to stop taking state-funded vouchers, but I cannot do that because I know it would leave thousands of children without care.”
Rather than feeling defeated, Deondra has taken action. Over the past several months, she has supported other providers who organized three rallies in Fort Wayne to raise awareness about the impact of voucher reductions. These events provided an opportunity for educators, families, and community members to share their experiences openly and advocate for more equitable solutions at the state level. Deondra invited Indiana State Representative Kyle Miller from District 82 to speak with providers about the impact of these voucher cuts on families and providers. Alongside that work, Deondra has begun reaching out to family child care educators across Indiana to strengthen connections and build a broader network of support.
She believes that family child care must be included in conversations about funding, policy, and long-term planning. Reflecting on the work ahead, she shared, “I want to know what I can do to get more Indiana family child care educators involved.”
In August of 2023, Deondra spoke at the Indiana Statehouse for the Childcare Summer Study Commission on the impact of affordable childcare. Deondra continues to support families as a Community Navigator for Mothers on the Rise. This role is through a Grassroots Maternal and Child Health Initiative through the IU School of Medicine. Her work supports women returning to their communities after incarceration as they face navigating challenging life transitions. Her program is a nurturing place for children and a source of support for parents to rebuild their lives. She understands how deeply child care is tied to community well-being and how policy decisions made without educator input can create far-reaching consequences.
Although these voucher reductions are being implemented at the state level, Deondra recognizes that they reflect broader issues within the federal child care system. As of November 2025, there are over 31,000 children under the age of 6 in Indiana who are in need of childcare. The way CCDF funding is allocated and administered directly affects the sustainability of programs like hers. When decisions are made without engaging those providing the care, communities feel the impact immediately. These policy shifts show up in weekly budgets, enrollment decisions, and the difficult conversations families have when their child care options suddenly change.
When Deondra felt that she had reached her limit on what she could accomplish alone, she turned to the National Association for Family Child Care (NAFCC) for support. She remains connected to NAFCC because she values national advocacy that centers the lived experience of home-based educators. She believes that state and federal discussions must include the realities faced by family child care programs and the communities they serve. This includes acknowledging the financial pressures created by low reimbursement rates and recognizing the value and expertise that family child care contributes to the early childhood landscape.
In response to the voucher cuts, Deondra expanded her program to include before- and after-school care. Taking on additional responsibilities has helped some families maintain consistent routines, even as their subsidy amounts have decreased. It is more work, but it reflects her commitment to minimizing disruption for the children and parents who depend on her program every day.
Through every challenge, Deondra has remained focused on the families she serves and on the broader effort to strengthen support for family child care educators across Indiana. She continues to lead by example, by showing up, speaking out, organizing with others, and ensuring that family child care educators are included in the conversations that shape funding, equity, and access.
“I don’t want to just talk about the problem,” she said. “I want to be part of whatever it takes to change it.”
