Update: 4/23/26: Unfortunately, SB 1921 / HB 2358 passed but WITHOUT the funding needed to ensure eligible families can access Smart Steps assistance.
We salute our bill sponsors – Senator Becky Duncan Massey and Representative David Hawk – who brought a fiscally responsible, temporary solution using existing TANF “rainy day reserve” funds to lift the waitlist (SB1921/HB2358). We are encouraged by the tremendous support for this solution by most members of the Tennessee General Assembly.
The bill crossed the finish line, but unfortunately the funding for it did not.
Today, 10,000 Tennessee children and their families remain stuck on a waitlist scrambling to piece together care, scale back work, or leave the workforce altogether. The instability in enrollment is forcing child care providers to close.
On behalf of those families and child care providers we are calling on the administration to bring forward a solution and fast-track it.
While the funding was removed, the bill passed delivering new transparency. Tennessee will now have annual public reporting on TANF and CCDF spending, balances, administrative costs, and children served in the Smart Steps program. That gives us the clarity to hold systems accountable and push for next steps.
And we will keep pushing.
To the legislators who supported the bill – thank you!
To the parents and providers who shared their stories — together we’ll keep fighting for a solution to clear the waitlist.
The Challenge We Must Address
Across Tennessee, working families are facing an impossible choice: keep their jobs or care for their children.
Last year, Tennessee’s federal child care funding was reduced by $44.5 million. In response, access to the Smart Steps Child Care Assistance Program was frozen — creating waitlists for thousands of otherwise eligible low-income working families.
Smart Steps helps parents afford licensed child care so they can remain in the workforce. When access was paused:
- Families lost the assistance that made care affordable
- Parents were forced to cut work hours or leave jobs altogether
- Child care providers lost enrollment and revenue
- Some families turned to unregulated care out of desperation
Even as families struggle, more than $190 million in Tennessee’s federal TANF reserve funds remain unused.
For households already living paycheck to paycheck, the loss of child care support has created immediate financial strain — impacting employment, housing stability, and food security.
Tennessee’s economy depends on working families. And working families depend on child care.
The Solution: Use Existing Federal Funds to Clear the Waitlist
SB 1921 / HB 2358 would require the Department of Human Services to use unobligated TANF funds to ensure eligible families can access Smart Steps assistance.
Importantly, this bill:
- Uses existing federal dollars already available to Tennessee
- Clears the current child care waitlist for eligible families
- Restores prior eligibility thresholds
- Strengthens transparency through regular financial reporting
No new taxes. No new state spending. Just better use of funds Tennessee already has.
What You Can Do: Be a loud voice for little kids and families!
Your voice matters — and legislators need to hear directly from parents, employers, educators, and community leaders across Tennessee.
Take a moment now to email your state legislators and urge them to support clearing Tennessee’s child care waitlist by filling out the form below (2-3 minutes).
Before sending, consider adding one or two sentences about:
- Your experience as a parent, employer, provider, or community member
- How child care affordability affects your family, workplace, or community
Personal stories — even brief ones — make a powerful impact.
