Statement: Funding for Child Care and Development Fund vouchers

On April 14, 2026, Gov. Mike Braun announced at a press conference that he’s asking the State Budget Committee to divert $200 million into the Financial Responsibility and Opportunity Growth (FROG) Fund to fund child care vouchers.

The proposal would remove about 14,000 children from the state’s waitlist for Child Care and Development Fund vouchers.

A statement from United Way of Central Indiana on this announcement:

“Today’s announcement from Governor Braun is the answer thousands of Hoosier families and child care providers have been hoping for since the waitlist for Child Care and Development Fund vouchers was reinstated in December 2024.

“This investment will provide urgently needed stability for the providers who make care possible and will allow tens of thousands of Hoosier children to reap the benefits of safe and healthy learning environments. It will also help Indiana make good on its commitments to being a great place to live, work and raise a family.

“We thank Governor Braun and his administration for this incredible investment in Indiana – for today and tomorrow.

“We are also grateful to the bipartisan authors and sponsors of Senate Enrolled Act 4, including lead authors Sen. Ryan Mishler and Sen. Chris Garten, for shepherding this effort through to this point. Unanimous support in the General Assembly shows this is an issue that affects all parts of our state.

“We anxiously await final approval by the State Budget Committee, so that Indiana’s families and child care providers can once again focus on what matters most: the health and development of our youngest Hoosiers.”

– Sam Snideman, vice president of government and sector relations, United Way of Central Indiana