Meeting Public Comments

Cathy Beck-Cross [Children & Families of Iowa]

An initiative of the Governor is to encourage/increase work hours among those who previously have received public benefits. While child care providers in settings such as Children & Families of Iowa's Child Development Center are paid above the minimum wage, this is not a profession that is historically highly compensated. Child care providers often have children of their own, which means the parent is often both providing care and trying to secure care for their children. Allowing child care providers to access the state child care assistance program, while the parent is working in a care center, would support continued workplace engagement. If this pilot program does not continue, parents who are working in child care centers will not be able to afford to also put their children in care during work hours, and the cost of doing so would either approach the pay provided, or possibly even contribute to a budget deficit for the family. Please pass HF 2514.

Jessi Balk [Save the Children Action Network]

My name is Jessi, and Im writing in support of HF 2514.Child care providers are the backbone of Iowas child care system. Without a stable workforce, children and families lose access to the early care and learning that supports healthy development and longterm success.Earlier in my life, I worked as a child care provider while raising my son as a single mother. I made $9.50 an hour caring for other peoples children, but often struggled to afford child care for my own. I remember stretching groceries and delaying bills just to make sure my son had care.Had this program existed then, it would have made a tremendous difference and likely allowed me to stay in the field.HF 2514 would make permanent a program that helps providers stay in the workforce and helps address Iowas child care shortage.A strong Iowa requires a strong child care system. I urge you to support HF 2514. Thank you.

Tom Lamoreux

I would like to support the passage of HF2514. Childcare is fundamental to a strong economy, workforce and families in Iowa. The cornerstone of early childhood education has always been the hardworking childcare providers that work a stressful job for low pay. This bill provides an important benefit to attract and retain qualified talent in the early education and childcare professions. All of Iowa will benefit by passage of this bill and I am excited to see it pass the House so swiftly and hope it has a similar fate in the Senate.

Heather Sindelar

I support the passage of HF2514. A strong childcare system is vital to Iowas economy, workforce, and families, and it relies on dedicated providers who perform demanding work for low pay. This bill delivers a critical incentive to attract and retain qualified early childhood professionals. Its swift passage in the House is encouraging, and I hope the Senate advances it with the same urgency.

Christina Eggink-Postma [Crittenton Center]

Crittenton Center is in support of HF 2514 to make children of child care workers eligible for the state child care assistance.Supporting our workforce and keeping childcare accessible and affordable for families is critical to address the childcare shortage in our communities. Crittenton Center has over 700 licensed childcare slots across three counties (Woodbury, Plymouth, and Sioux), and we currently have 14 staff across our service area accessing the Child Care Assistance for child care workers pilot, with more staff applying. This program has been an important tool to help us recruit and retain qualified staff to provide high quality early learning environments for children, which in turn allows parents to return to/remain in the workforce. We urge you to pass HF 2514.

Jeremy Harder

I support the passage of HF2514. Childcare is fundamental to a strong economy, workforce and family in Iowa. The cornerstone of early childhood education has always been the hardworking childcare providers that work a stressful job for low pay. This bill provides an important benefit to attract and retain qualified talent in the early education and childcare professions. All of Iowa will benefit by passage of this bill and I was excited to see it pass the House so swiftly and hope it has a similar fate in the Senate.

Andrew Follmann

I strongly urge support for HF2514. Affordable, highquality childcare is foundational to Iowas economy, our workforce, and the wellbeing of families across the state. At the heart of early childhood education are childcare providersdedicated professionals who perform demanding, highstress work while being chronically underpaid. HF2514 recognizes their essential role by providing a meaningful incentive to attract and retain qualified educators in this critical field. Investing in the childcare workforce is an investment in Iowas future, and communities statewide will benefit from its passage.

Lis Ernst [Holy Family Early Childhood ]

As a Program Director overseeing five early childhood programs, I strongly support the approval of this bill allowing early childhood employees to qualify for Child Care Assistance (CCA) for their own children.This program has made a significant difference in our ability to recruit and retain staff. It also greatly supports the wellbeing of our employees by reducing the financial burden of paying for their own child care while working in the field.From a program standpoint, it also helps maintain financial stability by allowing programs to sustain revenue rather than relying on large internal tuition discounts for staff children.This bill strengthens the early childhood workforce, supports families, and helps ensure our communities have consistent and reliable child care providers. I encourage you to support its approval.

Ann Oberhauser [Children and Families in Iowa]

HF2514 is an important way to support child care providers in the state of Iowa. We all know that childcare is critical to a strong economy, workforce development and retention, and supporting families in Iowa. Childcare providers often have challenging jobs for low pay. This bill will help to keep qualified talent in the early education and childcare professions of this state. Please do what you can to pass this bill in the Iowa Senate. Thank you for your attention to this matter!