Bill > S0100

This bill eliminates the sunset provision on funding child care for certain child care professionals and expands the program's eligibility. Specifically, the bill removes the previous time-limited restrictions on providing child care funding for eligible child care educators and staff who work at least 20 hours per week in licensed childcare centers and family childcare homes. Additionally, the bill expands the program to include staff providing early intervention services to infants and toddlers with developmental delays and disabilities. The eligibility determination for these child care providers will now be based on the federal Child Care Development Funds definition of a "protected population" and evaluated on a case-by-case basis using federal affordability guidelines, rather than the previous income limit of 300% of the federal poverty guidelines. The department will be required to collect applicant and participant data and submit an annual report to the governor and general assembly by November 1st, detailing the estimated demand for state-funded child care for these eligible professionals. The bill aims to support child care workers and early intervention staff by helping them access affordable child care, thereby potentially reducing workforce barriers in these critical service sectors.

Budget and Finance

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