Many developing countries subsidize enriched child care services heavily to make sure that they are available to poor families, who already spend almost all of their income on food, housing, and transportation. Colombia's government, for instance, finances 85 percent of the costs of its Hogares Comunitarios de Bienestar program, primarily through a payroll tax set at 2 percent in 1974 and raised to 3 percent in 1988. Most national governments share the cost of early childhood interventions with subnational governments and program beneficiaries. Kenya's central government, for instance, funds the training of caregivers, while local authorities provide and maintain preschool program sites. India's national government pays for everything but supplementary feeding, which is financed by the states.
Parents generally pay for caregivers' salaries.
Colombian parents pay half of the caregivers' honorariums and social security contributions. Until recently, parent associations were held responsible for defaults on these loans, but in the face of high default rates, the government has introduced a policy that makes the community mothers who run preschool programs liable for repayment if they leave the program. A number of countries have instituted user fees to finance at least part of their early childhood interventions. Parents participating in Colombia's Community Child Care and Nutrition Project, for instance, are expected to contribute on a sliding scale according to family income. Innovative funding schemes.