On My Way Pre-K helped more than 6,000 families afford preschool last school year. Just 2,500 could get help in the next school year.
INDIANAPOLIS — Indiana is slashing its preschool voucher program by more than half in response to state budget cuts. The program helps low income families afford preschool for their children.
According to a Family and Social Services Administration memo, just 2,500 kids will be able to enroll through the On My Way Pre-K program in the 2025-2026 school year.
According to FSSA’s own dashboard, more than 6,000 students were enrolled through the program in the 2024-2025 school year.
According to the FSSA memo, “These changes reflect new State laws and budget decisions and are meant to keep the program focused on families who need it most.”
Children in the program will also have to have a parent or guardian working, in school or in job training to qualify. Before these changes, parents looking for a job qualified. It’s unclear what will happen if a parent or guardian loses their job during the school year.
- FSSA is cutting On My Way Pre-K voucher enrollment by about 60%
- Kids with parents looking for work won’t qualify for vouchers anymore
- FSSA is blaming state budget cuts for the changes
Changing state funding
The state has withdrawn from the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF) co-funding for the preschool voucher program.
According to the federal Office of Child Care, Indiana was approved for CCDF funding in December 2024. FSSA was supposed to be working on several rule changes to meet the needs of CCDF, but it is unclear where those changes stand.
CCDF funding will still be available to help fund non-pre-K child care for eligible families that apply.
Some recent expansion of the On My Way Pre-K program was also funded through pandemic-era funding that has not been continued by the federal government.
13News reached out to FSSA for comment but had not received a response by the time this story was published.
