Many young American mothers want to go to school or to work to improve their lives. Unfortunately, too many of them have young children who need childcare and if they don’t have family or funding to pay for that childcare, they need government help.

The Advocate and The Associated Press said childcare is notoriously expensive. Louisiana families who don’t receive subsidies report paying an average of $11,000 annually per child — nearly as much as LSU’s in-state tuition.

There is child care assistance, which is funded by the federal government with help from the states. It is meant to aid working parents who are low-income, homeless or caring for foster children.

However, as of this spring, hundreds of thousands of children were sitting on child care assistance waitlists in 23 states and in the District of Columbia, according to an analysis by The AP.

In Louisiana, more than 7,700 eligible children were on the waitlist this March, a 70% increase from the prior year, according to state data. Families’ need for childcare assistance has only grown, as they faced mounting costs for food and gas.

While eligible families sit on waitlists, parents who remain in school or keep working make difficult trade-offs. In interviews, parents described foregoing necessities, falling behind on bills or relying on acquaintances to watch their children. Some have resorted to bringing their children with them to work or class.

Dynasty Bartholomew is a good example of the problem. She is determined to give her kids a better life and started training this year to become a medical assistant. She made the program’s honor roll while raising her three sons in Alexandria.

While at school, she puts her 2-year-old in childcare — a necessity that, at $720 a month, consumes most of her fixed income. She’s had to seek help from relatives and local nonprofits to pay her other bills.

The news report said she is an ideal candidate for government-funded child care assistance, which is supposed to enable needy parents to work or attend school without going broke. But eight months after Bartholomew was deemed eligible, she has yet to receive any aid.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Louisiana received about $1 billion in childcare relief funds, allowing the state to expand eligibility for its child care assistance program. At its peak in 2022, the program helped subsidize childcare for more than 25,000 children from low-income families.