Gov. Braun cuts child care waitlist by 78% through historic investment

Gov. Mike Braun today announced a major achievement in improving child care access and affordability for Hoosier families. As a result of the Governor's historic investment to expand access to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers, the CCDF waitlist has dropped 78% since May of this year.

Gov. Mike Braun today announced a major achievement in improving child care access and affordability for Hoosier families. As a result of the Governor's historic investment to expand access to Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) vouchers, the CCDF waitlist has dropped 78% since May of this year. 

"Making life more affordable for Hoosiers is a top priority of mine," said Gov. Braun. "These results reflect focused efforts to deliver immediate relief to families and accelerate access to affordable child care. And, beyond that, the child care voucher system is not only beneficial to Hoosiers from an affordability standpoint, but it is an economic engine creating lasting change. Today, with nearly 48,000 children now receiving child care vouchers, families have the flexibility to strengthen the state’s workforce by pursuing better jobs, gaining new skills, and building stronger futures."

In April of 2026, Gov. Braun announced a $200 million investment from the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund to expand access to CCDF vouchers. As a result of this investment, Indiana's CCDF waitlist has dropped from 41,175 children in May to 9,006 as of the end of October.

The funding prioritized the enrollment of siblings of current voucher holders, infants, toddlers, and 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds. Additionally, a set of exemptions was created for children of foster and kinship families, children with special needs, homeless children, children of child care workers, and children of Ivy Tech students.