Editorial: Funding hoops

A subtle change in funding will cause significant changes for a state program focused on supporting families with young children.

Changes in how Kansas funds its Parents as Teachers program will result in added administrative hassles for many parents and the loss of an important service for others.

Parents as Teachers, a program that uses home visits to support parents and identify potential developmental concerns in young children, will receive the same amount of money that it received last year, but the source of that money has changed. For many years, the state funded Parents as Teachers using money from the Children’s Initiatives Fund, which is funded by the national tobacco settlement. This year, lawmakers decided they need that money for other purposes and replaced state funding for the program with federal funds from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families pool.

The problem is that TANF money comes with some strings attached, namely that any services that receive TANF funds must be available only to people who meet certain federal guidelines. Starting on Friday, Parents as Teachers services will be available only to families who meet one of 19 eligibility standards that include factors like income, health and education levels.

Not only does that mean a loss of services for some families, it creates a whole new batch of administrative requirements for families and Parents as Teachers staff who now must complete all the necessary paperwork to prove they qualify for the services. Time that could be spent concentrating on young children now will be spent jumping through administrative hoops to ensure continued funding. Officials also fear that even some parents who qualify for services won’t want to provide documentation that they are struggling financially.

Some local Parents as Teachers programs say they hope to maintain play groups and networking events open to any family who wants to participate, but home visits will have to be restricted to families who meet the federal guidelines. Although local funds can be used to serve families who don’t qualify for TANF, a portion of that money will be eaten up by administrative and facilities costs that can’t be covered by the federal funds. Parents as Teachers could consider charging people who don’t qualify for TANF for services, but that also would add new administrative costs.

Parents as Teachers officials say one of the reasons the program has been so successful is that it offered services without labels based on income or other factors. Those days are over. Parents as Teachers is still a great program but state spending decisions have added significant complications to their ability to serve their clients.