Louisville child care provider voices concerns as Trump administration plans to freeze funding

Some child care providers are raising concerns after the Trump administration announced it is freezing child care funding to states while requiring additional verification of state programs. Vermillion Shelton, owner and director of Kiddie College of Louisville on West Broadway, said the pause could disrupt early learning progress for children who rely on consistent care and instruction. 'This affects a child from learning,' said Shelton, 'Trying to get everybody kindergarten-ready is very important.' The funding freeze follows claims by a YouTuber who said they uncovered fraud schemes at Minnesota day care centers run by Somali immigrants. Federal officials are now demanding states provide verification about their child care programs before funding is released. Shelton said the federal support her center receives helps cover essentials such as meals, child care assistance for families, and employee salaries. She warned that if the funding remains frozen, the effects could spread quickly—impacting workers, children, and parents who depend on child care to stay employed. 'The parents feel more relieved that their children are in a place that they enjoy,' said Shelton, 'And so that helps them to go to work feeling that children are safe. Without childcare assistance, a lot of individuals are going to be affected.' U.S. Rep. Morgan McGarvey said Kentucky already monitors programs for fraud. 'We want to root out any fraud that is there,' said McGarvey, 'But there have been no allegations of widespread fraud in Kentucky.' McGarvey said freezing the funding could affect about 34,000 children in Kentucky, putting added pressure on families already weighing whether they can afford child care and whether they can continue working. 'My fear is what they're doing is going to have a real impact here on Kentucky kids,' said McGarvey, 'It's going to have an impact on every parent who already struggles to say… should I send my child to child care, should I go to work?' Despite the uncertainty, Shelton said she plans to keep her center operating as long as possible—even if that means using her own money to cover costs. 'Even if I have to use my own funding to keep the business going to pay the employees, I will try to keep it going as long as I can,' said Shelton.