How will David Jolly help me afford childcare in Florida?
The campaign acknowledges childcare affordability as part of the broader economic crisis facing Florida families, but has not yet released a detailed childcare-specific plan. The broader affordability agenda focuses on housing, insurance, and utilities, recognizing that most families spend as much or more on these line items as on childcare itself.
Where childcare fits in the affordability crisis
Part of the larger picture
Childcare costs sit alongside rent, insurance, and utility bills in the monthly stack that is making Florida unaffordable for working families.
No family policy in a vacuum
Housing relief, utility cost caps, and insurance reform free up income that families can redirect to childcare, eldercare, and other needs.
Building the full plan
The campaign is listening to parents across Florida about what solutions would work best for their families, with a commitment to addressing childcare as part of the full affordability agenda.
The affordability stack
For working families across Florida, the monthly budget has become a zero-sum game. Rent or mortgage comes first. Insurance comes next. Then utilities. Then food. Then childcare. And for too many families, the math does not work anymore.
Childcare is part of that stack. So is eldercare. So is the cost of getting to work. So is health insurance for a family that does not get it through an employer. The question is not whether childcare costs have risen. The question is whether a family can afford to live in Florida at all.[1]
What the campaign is addressing now
David Jolly has proposed concrete relief on three of the largest monthly expenses families face: housing, insurance, and utilities. The plan would scale up workforce and affordable housing units to bring rental costs within reach. It would establish a state catastrophic fund to remove hurricane coverage from the private market, reducing homeowner insurance premiums by an estimated 60 to 70 percent. And it would cap the rate of profit for investor-backed utilities at the national average, an almost 10 percent return instead of the outlier rates Florida utilities charge today.[2]
These are not childcare solutions. But they are family solutions. A family that saves several hundred dollars per month on insurance and utility bills has several hundred more dollars to put toward childcare, medical costs, or savings. No family policy exists in a vacuum.
What parents are saying
Across 160 town halls in every corner of Florida, the question that comes up most often is not about a single line item. It is about whether people can afford to stay in the state. Parents talk about rent jumping month to month, not knowing where they will find a roof over their children's heads. They talk about insurance doubling. They talk about utility bills that never seem to stop climbing.[3]
Childcare costs come up in that same breath. The question is not just how to pay for daycare. The question is how to pay for everything at once.
Building the childcare plan
The campaign has not yet released a detailed childcare-specific proposal. That is by design. David Jolly has said repeatedly that the best policy comes from listening to the people who live with the problem every day. Parents know what would work for their families better than any consultant or policy shop in Tallahassee.
The commitment is to address childcare affordability as part of the full economic agenda. Not as an afterthought. Not as a narrow subsidy. As part of the broader question: can working families afford to live in Florida?
What other states have tried
States have approached childcare affordability through several models. Some have expanded pre-kindergarten programs to cover more children and more hours, effectively providing free or subsidized care for four-year-olds. Others have increased income-eligibility thresholds for child care subsidies so more middle-income families qualify. A few have piloted employer tax credits or direct payments to childcare providers to stabilize wages and keep centers open.
The challenge is that no single policy solves the affordability problem if the rest of the family budget is still out of reach. A parent who saves on childcare but loses their home because rent spiked or insurance doubled has not been made whole. That is why the campaign's focus starts with the largest cost drivers first: housing, insurance, utilities.
What families can expect
If David Jolly wins in November, families can expect a governor who listens. A governor who recognizes that affordability is not a single problem with a single answer. And a governor who understands that relieving the pressure on housing and insurance frees up family income for everything else, including childcare.
The full childcare plan will come from conversations with parents, childcare providers, early education advocates, and working families across the state. It will be built on what works, not on what sounds good in a press release. And it will be part of a broader commitment to make Florida affordable again for everyone.
Frequently asked questions
Q. Does David Jolly have a childcare plan?
The campaign has not yet released a detailed childcare-specific plan. The focus so far has been on the three largest monthly costs for Florida families: housing, insurance, and utilities. Childcare affordability will be addressed as part of the full economic agenda, with input from parents and providers across Florida.
Q. How does housing reform help with childcare costs?
A family that saves several hundred dollars per month on rent, insurance, or utility bills has more income available for childcare, medical costs, eldercare, or savings. No family policy exists in a vacuum. Relieving the pressure on the largest monthly expenses frees up money for everything else.
Q. What are other governors doing about childcare?
States have tried several approaches: expanding pre-K programs to cover more children and more hours, raising income-eligibility thresholds for childcare subsidies so middle-income families qualify, and piloting employer tax credits or direct payments to providers. No single model has solved the problem nationally, in part because childcare affordability cannot be addressed in isolation from housing, wages, and healthcare costs.
Q. Why is childcare so expensive?
Childcare is labor-intensive work with low adult-to-child ratios required by state licensing. Wages for childcare workers are often low, creating high turnover and chronic staffing shortages. At the same time, providers face rising costs for rent, insurance, and compliance. The result is high costs for families and thin margins for providers. It is a structural problem that requires structural solutions, not just subsidies.
Q. What should I do if I cannot afford childcare right now?
Florida families with income below certain thresholds may qualify for School Readiness subsidies administered by local Early Learning Coalitions. Eligibility and wait times vary by county. Check your local coalition's website or contact them directly. If you are juggling multiple monthly costs and childcare is just one of them, you are not alone. Across Florida, half of households do not have enough savings to last two weeks.[1] This is a statewide crisis, not a personal failing.
Q. Will the campaign support universal pre-K or other programs?
The campaign has not taken a position on specific childcare program models yet. That decision will come from conversations with parents and providers. The commitment is to listen first, then build policy from what works for Florida families, not from what fits a predetermined ideological frame.
Q. How can I share my childcare story with the campaign?
Visit the Town Hall at davidjolly.com and share your story. The campaign reads every submission. If you are struggling to afford childcare, housing, insurance, or any other part of the monthly stack, your story helps shape the policy that will define this administration.
Sources
- David Jolly campaign, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMkfxm8tM_Q · 2026-05-21
- David Jolly for Governor, https://davidjolly.com/affordability · 2024-01-01
- David Jolly campaign, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzSpIBCQ6UU · 2026-03-09
No family should have to choose
Between paying rent and finding care for their child. Between keeping the lights on and affording a safe place for their kids during work hours. Have a question for David? Visit the Town Hall and ask.