Bill > SB1609

This bill establishes an Early Learning Services Contracts Program to be implemented by the Department of Human Services (DHS) by July 1, 2026, designed to provide stable funding for child care centers serving families eligible for federal child care subsidies. The program will contract directly with licensed infant and toddler child care centers and through an intermediary with family child care centers, focusing on serving children six weeks to five years old from eligible families. Each county will receive at least one full classroom contract for an infant and toddler center and a group child care center, with contracts lasting a minimum of twelve months and potentially renewable. DHS will monitor seat utilization and can adjust contracts based on enrollment trends and provider performance, with the potential to modify or terminate contracts for centers with consistently low seat usage. The department may also contract with a service provider to operate the program and will be required to submit annual reports to the legislature detailing the program's development, implementation, impacts on child care provider stability, and family satisfaction. The pilot program is set to sunset on June 30, 2028, with an unusual effective date of December 31, 2050, though the practical implementation would begin much earlier.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services, Housing and Urban Affairs

https://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=SB&billnumber=1609&year=2026