Legislature(2007 - 2008)CAPITOL 106
02/27/2007 03:00 PM House HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HCR3 | |
| HJR10 | |
| Overview: System of Early Education Development | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| *+ | HCR 3 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | HJR 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
HOUSE HEALTH, EDUCATION AND SOCIAL SERVICES STANDING COMMITTEE
February 27, 2007
3:05 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Peggy Wilson, Chair
Representative Bob Roses, Vice Chair
Representative Anna Fairclough
Representative Mark Neuman
Representative Paul Seaton
Representative Sharon Cissna
Representative Berta Gardner
MEMBERS ABSENT
All members present
OTHER LEGISLATORS PRESENT
Representative Andrea Doll
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3
Relating to proclaiming April of 2007 as Sexual Assault
Awareness Month.
- MOVED HCR 3 OUT OF COMMITTEE
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10
Relating to reauthorization of federal funding for children's
health insurance; and encouraging the Governor to support
additional funding for and access to children's health
insurance.
- MOVED CSHJR 10(HES) OUT OF COMMITTEE
OVERVIEW: SYSTEM OF EARLY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT
- HEARD
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
BILL: HCR 3
SHORT TITLE: SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
SPONSOR(s): REPRESENTATIVE(s) MEYER
02/12/07 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/12/07 (H) HES
02/27/07 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
BILL: HJR 10
SHORT TITLE: MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN
SPONSOR(s): HEALTH, EDUCATION & SOCIAL SERVICES
02/15/07 (H) READ THE FIRST TIME - REFERRALS
02/15/07 (H) HES, FIN
02/27/07 (H) HES AT 3:00 PM CAPITOL 106
WITNESS REGISTER
REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN MEYER
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HCR 3, as prime sponsor.
REPRESENTATIVE ANDREA DOLL
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HCR 3.
CHRISTINE ASHENBRENNER, Interim Program Administrator
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HCR 3.
ROBERT MYERS, JR., Staff
to Representative Peggy Wilson
Alaska State Legislature
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented HJR 10, on behalf of the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee,
sponsor by request, which is chaired by Representative Wilson.
KARLEEN JACKSON, Commissioner
Department of Health & Social Services (DHSS)
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified in support of HJR 10, and
responded to questions.
CAROL PRENTICE, Project Manager
System for Early Education Development (SEED)
University of Alaska Southeast
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Introduced the SEED presentation, and
responded to questions.
JIM CALVIN, Partner
McDowell Group
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the SEED commissioned survey
results, and responded to questions.
ABBE HENSLEY, Director
Ready to Read, Ready to Learn
Representative, Alaska Humanities Forum
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented Ready to Read, Ready to Learn, as
an agency in collaboration with the SEED program.
JOY LYON, Executive Director
Association for the Education of Young Children
SE [Southeast] Alaska
Representative, Alaska Resource and Referral Network
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Presented the Quality Rating System (QRS),
as an aspect of the SEED program.
ACTION NARRATIVE
CHAIR PEGGY WILSON called the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee meeting to order at 3:05:12 PM.
Representatives Fairclough, Roses, Seaton, and Gardner were
present at the call to order. Representatives Cissna and Neuman
arrived as the meeting was in progress.
HCR 3-SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH
3:05:52 PM
CHAIR WILSON announced that the first order of business would be
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 3, Relating to proclaiming April
2007, as Sexual Assault Awareness Month.
3:06:54 PM
REPRESENTATIVE KEVIN MEYER, Alaska State Legislature, presented
HCR 3, as prime sponsor, paraphrasing from a statement, which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Sexual assault is a difficult and uncomfortable issue
to discuss, however, given the status of this crime in
our state, as leaders, we must continue to address and
educate Alaskans on this issue.
HCR 3 acknowledges the problem of sexual assault in
our state and the need for greater awareness,
prevention, and education.
By observing this month, schools, community
organizations, state agencies, and individuals are
encouraged to seek out or sponsor activities that
educate and work to increase the public's awareness of
sexual assault in our state.
The statistics relating to these crimes should provide
a sobering reality to all Alaskans: Sexual assault is
one of the most violent and underreported crimes in
Alaska.
Alaska's forcible rape rate is 2.5 times larger than
the national average.
Alaska's rape rate is larger than California's and
Washington's rape rate combined.
Alaska has six times the national average of reported
child sexual assault.
These statistics are just based on what is reported to
law enforcement officials and child protection
services.
In 2006, the Alaska Network on Domestic Violence and
Sexual Assault conducted a survey in Alaska focused on
the public opinion on domestic violence and sexual
assault.
Seventy-five percent of Alaskans polled have
experienced or know someone who has experienced
domestic violence or sexual assault.
Over the course of the past few years, the Legislature
has made a great effort to increase penalties for
sexual assault offenders and to make our laws tougher
to combat this plague on our state.
However, we also need to encourage and work together
with service providers and agencies in our state to
increase awareness and education on this issue.
As a society, we must make a statement that sexual
assault will not be tolerated and that we support
organizations that assist sexual assault survivors and
their loved ones.
3:09:38 PM
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER summarized that this resolution brings an
awareness to this issue and confirms that it will not be
tolerated. He pointed out that this resolution has been brought
in previous years. Responding to a comment, he said that a
permanent resolution may be in order.
3:11:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH stated that generational violence
exists in Alaska, and bringing a resolution forward, on an
annual basis, serves to focus the attention of the legislature
and the state on this recurring issue. Some homes experience
domestic violence, or sexual assault, on a daily basis. The
legislature, as a whole, has been bringing more attention to
this issue for the last six years, and as such providing support
for the victims, enforcement officials, and incidence
responders. Increased accountability for perpetrators has also
resulted from this campaign.
3:13:05 PM
CHAIR WILSON asked whether public service announcements (PSAs)
are increased during the awareness month.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH responded that all Alaskan citizens,
and networking agencies, are requested to "reach out" to the
community, at this particular time; including requests for
additional PSAs. Referring to the STAR (Standing Together
Against Rape), program, she said that it pays for additional
PSAs to increase awareness.
3:13:49 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER commented that the statistics for these
abuses correlates with the statistics for Alaska's high rate of
alcohol abuse. She asked if the pro-active efforts to encourage
reporting of sexual assaults may contribute to Alaska's high
national ranking.
REPRESENTATIVE MEYER responded that alcohol and drugs "play a
big part" in sexual assault. He reported that he introduced a
bill, three years ago, to have alcohol included as an aggravator
in sexual assault cases. He deferred to Representative
Fairclough for further response.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH added that 80 percent of reported
sexual assault cases indicate alcohol involvement. The
percentage may be equal, if not higher, in domestic violence
cases, she speculated. Speaking to the incidence rate, she
conceded that it is possible that the reporting is more accurate
in Alaska than in other states. The reporting rate by children
has increased, due to the outreach in the schools. The children
may be reporting more, however, the 500 annually reported,
statewide, adult cases have remained a constant.
3:18:12 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN suggested that awareness, and societal
tolerance levels, have changed over the years. The "swept under
the rug" approach does not occur as frequently. By having this
resolution brought before the legislature on an annual basis, it
keeps the conversation alive and before the legislature. He
relayed that only 27 percent of committed crimes are ever
reported. Further, if this does not directly affect your life,
it can be overlooked. Bringing this before the legislature each
year provides a certain level of awareness, and encourages
involvement. Less tolerance in society is important to
cultivate. He opined that mandatory sentencing for sexual
molesters has played a significant role.
3:22:51 PM
CHAIR WILSON restated that the percentage of alcohol involvement
is integral to the issue.
3:23:14 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES echoed the importance of educating the
school children, to cultivate long range effects. Additionally,
he relayed that when legislation was passed requiring the public
teachers to report any suspected incidences of abuse to
authorities, the statistics soared.
3:24:43 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ANDREA DOLL, Alaska State Legislature, stated
support for HCR 3, and said that she is pleased to have this
brought to the community for discussion. As a past worker at
the AWARE (Aiding Women in Abuse and Rape Emergencies)
Incorporated Shelter, she recounted an incident to illustrate
the difficulty of abuse as a topic for conversation, but
emphasized how important it is to have such conversations.
3:26:43 PM
CHRISTINE ASHENBRENNER, Interim Program Administrator, Council
on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault, stated support for HCR
3, and stressed the importance of having an annual awareness
month. She related a rape story, from her time as a volunteer
at AWARE:
In the winter, ... [the rape victim] walked through a
neighborhood looking for a light on, because she
didn't want to bother anybody. ... [This resolution]
keeps the light on across the state, ... it is very
important that we keep talking about this, take it out
of the closet, say it is wrong, ... hold perpetrators
accountable, and support victim services.
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER commented that it gives new meaning to
the phrase: "We're keeping the light on for you."
3:28:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH moved to report HCR 3 out of committee
with individual recommendations. There being no objection, HCR
3 was so moved.
HJR 10-MEDICAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHILDREN
3:29:43 PM
CHAIR WILSON announced that the next order of business would be
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 10, Relating to reauthorization of
federal funding for children's health insurance; and encouraging
the Governor to support additional funding for and access to
children's health insurance.
ROBERT MYERS, JR., Staff to Representative Peggy Wilson, Alaska
State Legislature, presented HJR 10 on behalf of the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee,
sponsor on request, which is chaired by Representative Wilson,
paraphrasing from a prepared statement, which read as follows
[original punctuation provided]:
Due in large part to the State Children's Health
Insurance Program (SCHIP), the percentage of low-
income children in the United States without health
coverage has fallen by one-quarter since SCHIP was
created in 1997, despite the erosion of private health
coverage over this period. More than 4 million low-
income children, most of whom would otherwise be
uninsured, are enrolled in SCHIP.
This remarkable success, however, is now threatened.
Unlike Medicaid, an entitlement program whose federal
funding increases automatically to compensate for
increases in health-care costs (as well as increases
in caseloads), SCHIP is a block grant with a fixed
annual funding level. That block grant is due to run
out in September, 2007. Denali KidCare, the form that
SCHIP takes in Alaska, will be put in a very
precarious position when that happens.
Congress has allocated $5 billion for FY 2007 for all
SCHIPs. Currently there are no further allocations.
The number of children in the program has been
declining since 2003 because of the frozen income
guidelines. About half of the children that dropped
out were picked up by Medicaid.
28 percent of Alaska's population is under 18. This
compares to the US population, which is 25 percent.
In 2003, Alaska spent almost $1,200 more per enrollee
for Medicaid than the national average. We rank
second highest in the nation for expenditures per
child.
Currently, we have 7,600 children enrolled in Denali
KidCare. In FY 2006, we spent $25,894,400. Of that,
$7,688,300 was state money. Federal money accounted
for $18,206,000 of the funding.
The state expends an average of $2,114 per child and
$1,966 per pregnant woman enrolled in Denali KidCare.
These are the cheapest expenditures per person of all
Medicaid programs in the state.
In the past, we have relied heavily on unallocated
funds from the general SCHIP fund. For example, if
Virginia has not used all of its allotted federal
funds for its SCHIP, Alaska could get some of those
funds. However, now that the programs across the
nation have matured, there are no more unused funds.
Alaska is one of 14 states expected to have a
shortfall in SCHIP by May of 2007.
The Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) for
2007 is 57.58 percent regular and 70.31 percent
enhanced. Medicaid is matched under the regular rate
while Denali KidCare is matched at the enhanced rate.
For 2008, we are anticipating roughly a 67-33 percent
split for federal/state expenditures for Denali
KidCare.
The president's budget includes a provision to extend
SCHIP by five years and increase the funding by $5
billion.
DHSS estimates that Alaska will exhaust its dedicated
federal funds somewhere in the second quarter of FY
2008. This will leave us with a $2.6 million
shortfall that will have to be covered by the state
general fund.
We ask that this committee and the Legislature pass
this resolution to urge Congress to renew its funding
for SCHIP in general and Denali KidCare in particular
so that we can continue to provide adequate coverage
for the children of Alaska
3:35:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER clarified the funding distribution, and
asked if Alaska is spending above allocation, or whether the
federal funding will no longer be available.
MR. MYERS responded that SCHIP is a matching block grant, and
restated how recipients may default to Medicare.
3:36:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER stated concern for establishing a program
dependent on receipt of tenuousness federal funding. She asked
whether a situation might occur in which the state incurs
expenditures and the matching funds are never received; a
question for Congress perhaps.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH reported her experience of a federal
block grant that was awarded, but ultimately reneged upon.
CHAIR WILSON offered, "You don't spend it until you have it."
MR. MYERS relayed that funds will begin to wane in May, 2007.
Additional federal funding may be provided in September, 2007,
but until then the state must address the four and one-half
month funding gap.
3:39:28 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN directed attention to the terms "children
of modest means," and "children who qualify," page 2, lines 5
and 19 respectively, and asked how this is determined. Further
he asked what it equates to for a family of four.
MR. MYERS answered that the qualifiers are stipulated in Alaska
Statute. It is calculated at 160 percent of the federal poverty
level, is based on family size, and is specifically listed up to
a family of eight. He located the base poverty level figures,
in the statutes, and read the first three parameters:
Household of: 1 - $1,635 per month
2 - $2,208 per month
3 - $2,782 per month
3:43:06 PM
KARLEEN JACKSON, Commissioner, Department of Health & Social
Services (DHSS), stated support for HJR 10, and reported that
the issue of children's health insurance funding is at the
forefront, both at the governor's office and at the federal
level.
3:43:57 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked how the state is planning to
handle the shortfall of funds, beginning in May.
COMMISSIONER JACKSON relayed the options, previously outlined,
that would be used prior to defaulting to Medicare:
reauthorization of the SHIP program; redistribution of excess
funds, from other state's SCHIP authorizations; and a component
to revise the formula used in redistribution of funds.
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked if a resolution is a stable means to
solicit federal funding, and whether there is a precedent for
HJR 10.
MR. MYERS offered that when congress authorized the original
SCHIP block funding in 1997, the grant authorization totals were
established for ten years; through 2007.
3:46:40 PM
CHAIR WILSON closed public testimony.
3:46:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON moved Conceptual Amendment 1:
Page 2, line 21
Following "sent", insert "both electronically and
by postal service"
There being no objection, Conceptual Amendment 1 was adopted.
3:47:34 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH moved to report HJR 10, as amended,
out of committee with individual recommendations and the
accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHJR
10(HES) was reported from the House Health, Education and Social
Services Standing Committee.
^OVERVIEW: SYSTEM OF EARLY EDUCATION DEVELOPMENT
3:48:46 PM
CHAIR WILSON announced that the final order of business would be
an overview by the System for Early Education Development (SEED)
program.
3:49:46 PM
CAROL PRENTICE, Project Manager, System for Early Education
Development (SEED), University of Alaska Southeast (UAS), stated
that the mission, of this federally funded program, is to
support the professional development of people who work in the
early childhood workforce sector. The SEED Counsel is comprised
of twenty stakeholders, who are guiding the program through its
fourth and final cycle. During this final year, the council
determined that an economic impact report could provide a
lasting impact on the future of child care in Alaska. Thus, the
McDowell Group was commissioned to design, and conduct, a
statewide survey. She said that "good policy comes from good
data," and she introduced the speaker who engineered the study.
3:51:50 PM
JIM CALVIN, Partner, McDowell Group, presented slides of the
survey results, accompanied by a committee handout. He relayed
that the scope of the study was to measure the economic impacts
of the early education and child care sector in the state's
economy. It focused on education and care of children under six
years of age: economic impacts measured in terms of employment;
spending on child care services; and the role of child care
services in allowing Alaska families to earn income. In 2005,
the statistics presented in slide 5 [page 2], "Economic Impact
on Alaska, Working Parent Demographics," indicated: 62,913
children under six in Alaska; 63 percent (39,400) in households
where all parents in workforce; represents 29,400 households.
3:55:16 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if the 62,000 represented the total
number of children in Alaska, or the ones who are receiving out
of home child care.
MR. CALVIN responded that of the 63,000 children under six,
39,000 are receiving paid child care services, including in-home
services.
3:55:52 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN further clarified the assumption that
62,000 under six would average 10,100 per age group, and 39,000
households figure would also be divided by six to arrive at the
average number impacted.
3:57:00 PM
MR. CALVIN continued with the slide titled "Economic Impact on
Alaska" [slide 7, page 3], and explained the importance of child
care to "free" parents to join the workforce. The impact is
significant, representing 29,400 available workers, or 9.5
percent of Alaska's resident workforce. Although the income
characteristics of this segment have not been surveyed directly,
it is surmised that this segment averages $28,820 per family.
The availability of child care services allows a family to
increase the household income, and raise their standard of
living. The average Alaskan family earns $72,000 per year. On
request, he clarified that with child care available, a family
member is able to leave the home and earn $28,820 in additional
annual income, effectively increasing the family average to
$72,000.
4:00:19 PM
MR. CALVIN explained that the model indicates a workforce of
7,400, who are directly or indirectly involved in the early
child care workforce sector, earning an annual combined wage of
$124 million. The number of workers who are directly providing
care for children, less than six years of age is 6,500, with a
combined annual earning of $95 million. In response to a
question, he stated that the annual individual payroll figures
would be presented.
4:01:21 PM
MR. CALVIN explained the graph on slide 9, [page 3], to
illustrate how the child care sector ranks with other state
industries. Representing about 1.5 percent of Alaska employment
opportunities, the sector is comparable to opportunities in air
transportation and residential/nonresidential building
construction.
4:02:19 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked what the economic study was
based on to establish these numbers.
4:02:46 PM
MR. CALVIN responded that the data was gathered from secondary
sources: Department of Labor [Department of Labor & Workforce
Development (DLWD)] figures, Bureau of Economic Analysis
information, census data, America Community Survey data, and
other published governmental data.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH questioned how "soft or hard these
numbers" are, and requested a base line statistic to support the
numbers being presented.
MR. CALVIN responded that the states licensing database for
child care was a key source.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked if an assumption was made that
the licensee would be maximizing the potential enrollment
numbers, and how that factor was considered.
MR. CALVIN responded that a survey of child care providers was
conducted, and the DLWD was an important source.
4:05:10 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON asked if there is a possible overlap in
the 6,500 direct jobs with parents who work in the child care
sector. He asked if this factor was taken into consideration.
MR. CALVIN responded that a small percentage of overlap may
occur; however, this survey indicates the number of persons made
available for other work, due to the availability of child care.
In follow-up, he said that there was not a direct correlation of
parents employed as child care providers drawn by this survey.
4:07:39 PM
REPRESENTATIVE CISSNA inquired in what size community the
numbers begin to diminish, and suggested that the smaller
communities may not be adequately represented.
MR. CALVIN relayed that a statewide, household survey was
conducted, with 700 urban and rural residents participating, and
that further discussion on that survey will be forthcoming in
the presentation.
4:10:22 PM
MR. CALVIN reported that the early learning, and child care
sector, annual wages range from $16,000-$21,000. For
perspective, he said, the average wage in the Alaskan economy is
$38,000 and the average wage paid to a child care giver is half
of that amount; one of the poorest paid workers in the economy.
He pointed out that these are the people who are entrusted to
care for the youngest children in our society. He presented
slides 11 and 12, [page 4], to illustrate the contrast of long-
term socio economic impacts for children who were in early
learning centers vs. disadvantaged children, without such
access. The percentages are based on data from specifically
focused, small scale, long term survey projects, conducted in
other states.
4:12:50 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER cautioned that the data would not reflect
whether a child was from an affluent home, with a private nanny,
and became a college educated member of society, or was a child
in a corporate/institutional day care setting, from a home that
did not provide for college education. She suggested that these
are variables that may not be taken into account by the
percentages being presented.
MR. CALVIN agreed, and offered to provide further information on
the referenced studies.
4:14:31 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN asked how can the numbers are associated
to the age of the child, beginning from birth to six years old.
MR. CALVIN responded that the answer to that question lies
beyond the scope of this survey.
4:16:04 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON clarified that the statistics presented
are not correlated to the Alaska SEED program, and that the
results are from a survey conducted elsewhere in the United
States.
4:16:49 PM
MR. CALVIN presented slide 13 [page 5] titled "Household Survey
Overview," which established the criteria used for the survey.
This criteria provided the data for the analysis, presented on
the subsequent slides. The 725 households surveyed responded to
questions regarding use of child care services, costs for those
services, and opinion of publicly funded child care. Also, the
responses were designated urban, rural I, and rural II, relating
to communities with populations of above 8,000, 2,000-8,000, and
less than 2,000 respectively. Mr. Calvin relayed that in
households with children under six, 36 percent reported that
either the quality, cost, or availability of child care
services, had prevented someone in their household from seeking
employment, or had in some way restricted the number of hours
that they could work. Cost was cited by 50 percent of the
respondents, as the primary constraint in obtaining child care,
while 25 percent indicated quality as an issue, and the
remaining 25 percent stipulated availability. In rural Alaska,
50 percent cited availability as the issue, 25 percent indicated
cost, and the remaining 25 percent stipulated quality. Cost
data suggests a range from $400-$900 per month, depending on the
age of the child, and the location of the service. One in seven
households, with children under six in child care, receives
financial assistance for the service. Additionally, 87 percent
of Alaskans consider it important, or very important, for state
government to provide financial support for early education and
child care.
4:20:55 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN questioned the wisdom of combining early
education with child care, and asked if the survey allowed for
differentiation of these two entities.
MR. CALVIN relayed that quality child care is considered to be
early education, for purposes of this survey, and he conceded
that the result may otherwise have been different. He
speculated, "No one would like to provide financial support for
low quality child care services, or just babysitting services,
... that's a forgone conclusion."
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN pointed out the questionable learning
abilities of a six month to one year old child. He restated his
interest in knowing what the public sentiment would be for
funding child care from birth to six.
MR. CALVIN suggested that the committee focus on the broader
aspects of the survey. Those being: the ability of family
members to contribute to the workforce; public opinion of state
funding for early education/child care; and the
availability/affordability of existing services. Follow-up
research would be important, he said, to further the scope of
the survey and answer more questions.
4:25:07 PM
CHAIR WILSON conjectured that public sentiment for funding may
be high because Alaska does not impose a state income tax. She
suggested that if an existing tax had to be increased to fund
these services, public opinion might be different.
4:27:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE GARDNER agreed with the previous legislator that
early education and child care are not the same, and asserted
that care givers for young children, 2-13 months old, are
daycare providers, not teachers. She opined that the way in
which the survey question is posed, may effect the response, and
stated that it would be helpful to have a copy of the survey.
4:28:36 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES reiterated the importance of separating
early education from child care.
4:30:11 PM
CHAIR WILSON pointed out that appropriate interaction, and
stimulation, of the young child is important, and would
constitute quality day care, as opposed to babysitting where
little interaction may occur. She agreed that the care giver
would, however, not be termed a teacher.
4:31:06 PM
MR. CALVIN said that funding for early education and child care
ranks second to k-12 education, and leads college level
education, new roads/highways, and local government [slide 20,
page 7]. Elaborating, he said that this is typical for this
type of survey; education always comes out on top. Two
successive pie charts, slides 21 and 22 [pages 7 and 8],
indicated that Alaskan residents spend $150 million yearly on
child care, federal funding covers $74.8 million, and the state
funds $13.3 million. The federal allocation funds $37.7 million
to the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS) child
care program office, $27.8 million for Head Start programs, and
$9.3 million is directed to tribal organizations. Alaska
allocates $7 million to the DHSS child care program office, and
6.3 million for Head Start programs.
MS. PRENTICE pointed out that nationally, Alaska is one of ten
states without a state-funded, statewide, early childhood
education system, although funding levels and focuses vary
between the states.
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES related that some states may fund full-day
kindergarten, which could skew the reported statistic.
4:36:40 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked by what means the survey was
conducted.
MR. CALVIN explained that it was a telephone survey. Speaking
directly to the participants helped to identify the type of
child care used, how many hours needed each day, the cost, and
where people viewed potential sources for funding to meet child
care needs.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH asked if it was a random dial process,
and she suggested that by only contacting residents with
telephones, a vast number of impoverished households may have
been overlooked. Additionally she asked whether cell telephone
numbers were utilized.
MR. CALVIN maintained that the vast majority of Alaskan
households do have telephone service. Further, he said that the
random digit dial approach only works in the major cities. In
the rural areas a telephone book was used for random dialing.
4:39:53 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN inquired about the cost for the study, and
who covered that cost.
MS. PRENTICE responded that SEED commissioned the study, as a
federally funded project, for approximately $60,000.
4:42:09 PM
ABBE HENSLEY, Director, Ready to Read, Ready to Learn;
Representative, Alaska Humanities Forum, described the program
as "a public/private collaborative effort providing leadership
for Alaska's investment in it's youngest citizens, ensuring a
best beginning for children, and a vital future for Alaska."
Ready to Read, Ready to Learn is co-managed by the Alaska
Humanities Forum, the United Way of Anchorage, and staffed by
both entities. The original task force was formed out of
concern for low literacy. Additionally, compelling aspects of
early development of the brain, birth to 2 years, has been
brought forward. She highlighted the importance of supporting
family involvement, as the foundation and "heart" of the
project. Recommendations in the report are included for: In
the Home, Out of the Home, Child Care and Early Education
Programs, and Looking Ahead. She called attention to the
document titled "Investing in Alaska's Young Children," dated
February 2007, which details the usage and accomplishments of
the FY06, $250,000 appropriation. The current funding request
will further the development of the early learning guidelines
for birth to 5 year-old expectations, and printing costs of the
document, which is being translated to other languages.
Continued work will be accomplished in the areas of: on-going
community conversations regarding early learning; securing
additional private funds; foundational development of an early
education, statewide system; and continued collaboration with
the state to develop a quality rating system (QRS) for child
care and early learning programs.
4:50:36 PM
JOY LYON, Executive Director, Association for the Education of
Young Children, SE [Southeast] Alaska; Representative, Alaska
Resource and Referral Network, explained that the goal of a
statewide QRS provides a method to assess, improve and
communicate the level of quality in early care and educational
settings. Additionally, it ensures a standard for a consistent,
unified, supportive approach, in whatever location and learning
environment a child is being received. The QRS is a core piece
of a comprehensive system, for assessing, improving, and
communicating what constitutes quality in early learning.
National programs are in place and available to assist in
establishing, and measuring, these achievable goals. She
reported that 15 states have a QRS in place, and Alaska is one
of 25 that are developing standards. Additional benefits of a
QRS include: providing information, and guidelines, to parents
who are evaluating a program, as well as accountability for
measurable program outcomes to assure public and private
contributors. Ms. Lyon reported that states with a QRS have
experienced positive impacts. Three states evaluated found:
increased education level of workers; increased staff retention;
increased salaries; and an increase in the number of children on
child care assistance who are entering into higher quality
programs.
4:58:01 PM
REPRESENTATIVE SEATON pointed out that implementing these
procedures will cause an increase in current child care costs,
which has been cited as an impediment by the majority of the
households surveyed. He asked how families are expected to
afford the proposed higher quality child care, and how does
increasing the cost make more child care available.
MS. LYON suggested that "people don't want to pay for low
quality day care." By implementing measurements for which
programs are meeting quality standards, monetary support can be
attracted from the public and private sector. She pointed out
that businesses experience increased productivity when working
parents know that their children are in a safe and healthy
environment. These outside dollars do need to be brought into
the system, or high turnover and low quality child care will
persist. In 2006, a statewide pilot program was brought to 120
classrooms, in six communities, and a baseline assessment was
conducted. During the course of the year, areas for improvement
of quality were identified, consultation was made available, and
incentives were offered. The evaluation of this pilot program
is still pending release, and will allow the development of a
recommended system to be implemented by November, 2007.
5:02:21 PM
REPRESENTATIVE ROSES stressed the importance for stringent
licensing, and reporting, of child care providers, as part of
ensuring quality services.
5:03:22 PM
REPRESENTATIVE NEUMAN inquired as to what the cost would be to
implement the recommendations, and fully fund the program.
MS. HENSLEY responded that some recommendations cannot have a
dollar value directly attached. It is intended that this
initiative will continue to be a public/private partnership.
She said that it is not the state's responsibility to ensure
that all of these recommendations are implemented.
5:05:08 PM
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH noted that the United Way of Anchorage
is a sponsor of the program.
MS. HENSLEY named the various sponsors and private entities that
provide financial support. To a follow up question, she said
that, in FY 07, $73,000 was received from the Department of
Health and Social Services (DHSS), for developing the QRS.
Additionally, $1.5 million was included in the Department of
Education and Early Development (EED) budget request, to fund
the phased in implementation of the QRS. With close to $1
million dollars, 30-40 child care centers, or other early
education programs, could be initiated across the state.
REPRESENTATIVE FAIRCLOUGH clarified that the committee is being
asked to support the $1.5 million request in the EED budget.
MS. LYON confirmed that understanding.
MS. HENSLEY interjected that the second pilot program, called
"Parks for Kids" was conducted in Fairbanks and deemed a
success.
5:09:56 PM
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business before the committee, the House
Health, Education and Social Services Standing Committee meeting
was adjourned at 5:10 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|