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Permanent LinkMeeting Public Comments
Subcommittee meeting and times are as follows:
A bill for an act relating to early childhood education and care, including by modifying provisions related to the statewide preschool program, the child development coordinating council, programs for at-risk children, the responsibilities of the department of education, the early childhood Iowa initiative, and the state child care assistance program, and establishing the child care continuum partnership grants pilot program within the department of health and human services.(See HF 623.)
Subcommittee members: Weldon-CH, Ehlert, Moore, T.
Date: Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Time: 12:00 PM - 12:30 PM
Location: RM 304
Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.
Comments Submitted:
02-18-2025
Angie Kendall [Hand in Hand]
As you consider this important legislation, I urge you to ensure it strengthens rather than destabilizes Iowa's fragile childcare system. Moving early care and education dollars to schools could unintentionally reverse the progress we've made as a state.With Iowa ranking second in the nation for parents working outside the home, childcare remains a nonpartisan issue that directly impacts our workforce and economy costing Iowa $934 million annually due to childcare challenges. Childcare centers rely on 3 and 4 yearolds to offset the high costs of infant and toddler care, which are typically loss leaders. Without careful planning, shifting 4 yearolds to school based programs could lead to center closures, reducing already limited care options for working families. To avoid this, we strongly urge a collaborative model that includes both schools and community based organizations. This approach: Preserves vital infant/toddler care and wraparound services. Stabilizes the childcare sector while expanding PreK access. Provides flexibility for communities to design solutions that work for them. We recommend adding guardrails to ensure: Dedicated funding streams specifically allocated for childcare centers. Partnership agreements between schools and private centers. Stakeholder involvement, such as a grant review and implementation committee with representation from childcare centers, schools, parents, and ECE professionals. We must also ensure the legislature provides an appropriate administrative rate the current proposals 5% is well below the federal de minimis of 15%.We can use this time to learn from other communities, who have often found that schools lack the practical details and support for quality care and education that is essential for these early years. Expertise and facilities the childcare industry already has.
02-19-2025
Paige Chickering [Save the Children Action Network]
I am grateful that the governor and the legislature are prioritizing the important issue of child care in our state. The CCA pilot program that is being codified in this bill that allows all child care workers to qualify for CCA has been a huge success and has helped to retain workers and strengthen the child care workforce. Making this program permanent is an excellent way to address the workforce shortages we are facing. However, I urge the legislature to carefully consider the input of the child care work force and parents as you move forward with this legislation. Some of the proposed changes to ECI and moving funding from other important early childhood education programs instead of appropriating new dollars to the critical child care issues we are facing could have wide reaching consequences on an already fragile child care system. I encourage you to take seriously concerns that are being raised and continue to take action to ensure we have high quality child care that is affordable and accessible in Iowa. Thank you for your consideration.
02-19-2025
Donna Godar
Hello, I am from Grinnell. I am very grateful to see Iowa taking action to support childcare, I am supportive of codifying the CCA pilot program that allows all child care providers to qualify for CCA, and I encourage legislators to carefully consider the concerns that are being raised by the child care workforce about other aspects of this bill. Their voices need to be heard and taken into account. Thank you for your time.
02-19-2025
Tiffany Welch
I'm a mom that struggled to find child care when my kids were young. I'm a community member that wants to help families thrive by being able to work, but we need a quality child care workforce to achieve these goals. I appreciate the bill codifying CCA for child care workers. This is a win for businesses (less staff turn over and those associated costs) and more consistent care for children. I'm very supportive of the CCA portion. However, proposed changes to ECI and the moving funds around instead appropriating new funds will hurt very important programs. Please listen to care givers and business models so we don't make care of infants unintentionally harder to access. Thank you again for looking at child care; but please listen to the stake holders as changes are proposed.