Home » State Early Childhood Policy Landscapes » Delaware Early Childhood Policy Landscape

Delaware

Delaware, like all states, has a unique early childhood policy landscape that is shaped by economics, demographics, political history, coalitions, and other factors that create a state-specific environment for policy advocacy.

State early childhood policy progress is dependent both on the state’s environment and the numerous efforts—by the organizations listed on this page, other organizations, parents, policymakers, practitioners, and more—who work both independently and collaboratively to achieve wins for young children.

2024 State Early Childhood Policy Environment and Progress

Early Childhood Landscape:

Research shows that family economic security is foundational to children’s overall wellbeing. Research also shows that widespread disparities in opportunity (especially by race) drive wide disparities in outcomes. States with policies that offer strong support to young children and their families are more likely to see 1) declining numbers of children in low-income households and 2) low racial disparity among those children.

Young Children in Low-Income Households: Declining

Approximately 32% (31,000) of the state’s children 0-8 live in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (2022). This number represents a decrease from 42% (41,000) in 2017.¹

Racial Disparity Among Young Children Living in Low-Income Households: High

Black, Hispanic/Latino, and/or Native children aged 0-8 are significantly more likely to be living in households below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level than are Asian and non-Hispanic White children.²

Advocacy Landscape:

State General Fund Appropriations: Growing

In June of 2024 Delaware’s governor signed the state’s fiscal 2025 budget. The budget provides for $6.1 billion in general fund operating spending, representing a roughly 9.3 percent annual increase, as well as $168 million in one-time expenditures provided in a supplemental appropriation bill (a 13.5 percent decrease), $98.4 million in a grants-in-aid bill, and a $1.1 billion capital budget. The state’s latest revenue forecast released in June 2024 estimates general fund revenues totaling $6.45 billion in fiscal 2025, a 1.3 percent increase over fiscal 2024. This session, legislation was also enacted to codify the state’s Budget Stabilization Fund to be used during times of economic downturn; the fund balance is projected to grow in fiscal 2025 to $469 million. This fund is separate from the state’s Budget Reserve Account, which had a balance of $329 million as of June 2024.³

Largest Revenue Sources (after federal transfers):⁴

- - Individual Income Tax: $2,165 per capita
  - Charges: $1,499 per capita

Charges are public payments connected with a specific government service, such as tuition paid to a state university, payments to a public hospital, or highway tolls. Delaware does not levy a general sales tax but it does have a gross receipts tax.

State Budget Rules:⁴

Delaware uses an annual budget. The legislature must pass a balanced budget, but it can carry a deficit into the following year. Delaware limits both spending and revenue growth with binding rules that require a legislative supermajority or a popular vote to override. A supermajority is also required for any legislation that increases taxes or revenues. Delaware also places limits on the total authorized debt and debt service the state can incur.

Political Alignment: Aligned Democrat

During the 2024 session, the state’s Senate and House were both Democrat controlled. The state’s Governor was also a Democrat.⁵

Types of Common Ballot Measures Available:⁶One

- Legislature-Initiated Advisory Questions – Delaware does not allow citizen initiative, referendum, or recall. Several times in the state’s history, non-binding advisory ballot measures have been put before the voters in Delaware.

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Organizations Include:

Early Childhood Policy Advocacy Multi-State Initiatives Include:⁷

2024 Policy Progress:

Highlights from the state’s early childhood policy advocacy community include:⁸

SB 325 establishes a statewide rate of reimbursement the state’s subsidized childcare program, Purchase of Care, and an increase across the state to this rate. Until this past session, the State of Delaware reimbursed providers at different rates between New Castle, Kent, and Sussex counties, sometimes as much as 30 percent less per child in the lower two counties. Over the years, advocates have pushed for a statewide rate, and, this year, all rates were increased. Providers in Kent and Sussex will now see up to a 40-percent increase in their reimbursement rates. This will stabilize providers’ budgets to serve more families, open more classrooms, and higher more qualified staff.

The budget bill also:

- Increases eligibility for state subsidized child care from 185 percent to 200 percent FPL.
- Reduces co-pays for families to no more than 7 percent of income—copayments do not start until 150 percent FPL.
- Expands state-funded pre-k by 200 seats.

SB 305 streamlines pre-k language to reduce the burden on providers and families and also removes the statutory requirement to cover only children in poverty.

HB 362 / HB 80 expands doula coverage by requiring private health insurance coverage and expanding Medicaid coverage.

Ongoing Grantee Areas of Advocacy:

Our lead ally in Delaware, Rodel, works with innovators to transform public education in the state. They work side by side with educators and community leaders to form diverse collaboratives. Rodel’s mission is to strengthen Delaware’s public education system and workforce by connecting partners to advance and implement sustainable solutions.

Rodel is working to advance early childhood policies in several areas that align with the Alliance’s birth-through-eight policy framework:

Early Care and Education

Preschool and Pre-K

Child Care

Child Care Workforce

Child and
Maternal Health

Home Visiting

Maternal Health

Family
Supports

Early Childhood Infrastructure

Early Childhood Finance and Cost Modeling

Early Childhood Governance

RECENT ADVOCACY SNAPSHOT:

The Alliance Network Helps Delaware Advocates Tailor Their Messaging—and Win New Child Care Funding

October 4, 2024

When advocates at Rodel in Delaware began planning a targeted messaging strategy for increasing child care subsidies, the Alliance connected them with Child Care Aware of America, who helped them build a dashboard that quantifies the gap in child care supply and demand at the local level. This allowed advocates to create fact sheets about the shortage of child care in each state legislative district and, ultimately, win more than $10 million in additional subsidy and reimbursement funding.

NOTES:

¹Kids Count Data Center, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, January, 2024.

²National Center for Children in Poverty, Children Ages 0 to 8 Below 200 Percent Poverty, March 2023, NCCP analysis of ACS 1-Year Estimates – Public Use Microdata Sample 2021.

³National Association of State Budget Officers, Proposed and Enacted Budgets, FY 2025.

⁴Urban Institute, State Fiscal Briefs, June 2024.

⁵National Conference of State Legislatures, 2024 State & Legislative Partisan Composition, April 29, 2024.

⁶Ballotpedia, Ballot Measures by State, Kids Count Data Center, retrieved July, 2024.

⁷Alliance for Early Success, Multi-State Initiatives for Early Childhood Policy Advocacy, July, 2024.

⁸Alliance for Early Success, State-Wide Advocacy Highlights Survey, April-October, 2024; and 2024 Prenatal-to-3 Legislative Highlights, Prenatal-to-3 Policy Impact Center, July, 2024.