STATEHOUSE (April 20, 2026) – State Rep. Lindsay Patterson (R-Brookville) joined fellow members of the State Budget Committee in approving the Indiana governor's proposal to invest an additional $200 million to expand access to child care for low-income families.
The State Budget Committee approved the proposal at its meeting Thursday to allocate additional funding for the Child Care and Development Fund (CCDF) voucher program. During the 2026 legislative session, the General Assembly passed Senate Enrolled Act 4, which Patterson supported, allowing the state to augment funds from the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund for the CCDF program. This funding will help the state resume enrollment for CCDF vouchers by an estimated 14,000 children.
"This funding strengthens Indiana’s approach to supporting both early childhood development and workforce participation," Patterson said. "I look forward to seeing how the investment will benefit families today and the economy long term."
Indiana's CCDF is a federally supported program that currently assists about 43,000 children statewide, with eligibility based on household income and employment criteria. Additional enrollment will prioritize siblings of current voucher holders, infants and children between 3-5 years old. A set of exemptions will be 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.
Patterson also co-authored House Enrolled Act 1177 this session to expand the state's employer child care tax credit, encouraging more employers to offer child care options to employees.
According to the most recent state data, capacity at regulated child care facilities has increased over the past year, with capacity currently at 174,400 children.
Click here to learn more about state child care resources.
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State Rep. Lindsay Patterson (R-Brookville) represents House District 55, which includes
all of Fayette, Franklin and Union counties, and portions of Decatur, Ripley and Rush counties.
Click here to download a high-resolution photo.
