Legislature(2023 - 2024)BARNES 124
02/13/2023 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE
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Audio | Topic |
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Presentation(s): Child Care Overview in Alaska | |
Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ | TELECONFERENCED | ||
+ | TELECONFERENCED |
[Contains discussion of HB 46.] 3:17:33 PM CHAIR SUMNER announced that the only order of business would be a presentation, titled "Child Care Overview in Alaska." 3:18:11 PM DAN BEUTEL, representing self, stated that he left his job the previous year due to his inability to find childcare for his three children. The cost of childcare outweighed the benefit of having a second income for his family. He offered his opinion that it is unfair for childcare workers to not be paid more for the work that they do. 3:22:48 PM STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO, thread Alaska, introduced a PowerPoint presentation titled "Child Care- Then, Now, Next," [hard copy included in the committee packet]. 3:23:18 PM The committee took an at-ease from 3:23 p.m. to 3:25 p.m. 3:25:35 PM MS. BERGLUND continued to slide 2 and stated that the goal of thread Alaska is to promote childcare and early childhood education. On slide 3, she outlined the services provided by thread Alaska, including childcare referrals, training early childcare educators, and providing childcare advocacy and research. 3:27:46 PM MS. BERGLUND skipped to slides 5 and 6 giving an overview of childcare access in the state of Alaska. She said that 1 in 5 working families were inhibited in some way from fully participating in the workforce due to issues finding childcare, and 61 percent of Alaska is considered to be "in crisis" when it comes to access to childcare. The definition used to determine this is 50 children 5 years of age or older with no providers or few enough providers that the ratio of children in need of childcare to childcare providers is 3:1. MS. BERGLUND moved on to slide 7 and gave an overview of the issues with childcare affordability. She stated that the average family spent 17 percent of its yearly income on childcare, and that for families with 2 or more children, the cost was often greater than their cost of housing. Childcare in Alaska is more expensive than in-state college tuition. MS. BERGLUND continued to slide 8 and stated that childcare workers are some of the lowest paid workers in the state. Although childcare providers want to pay higher wages, they cannot as the cost would be pushed onto parents, making childcare unaffordable. She added that reduced working hours during the COVID-19 pandemic caused childcare to become even more unaffordable for some families. 3:30:46 PM MS. BERGLUND skipped to slides 11 and 12 and gave a brief overview of the issues currently facing the childcare sector. In part because of the COVID-19 pandemic, a fifth of Alaskan childcare centers have permanently closed and 90 percent of those that are operating are doing so below their capacity. She added that low wages are contributing to burnout among childcare employees, furthering the staffing shortages that childcare centers are already facing. The lack of sufficient childcare is a contributing factor to slowing economic growth across the state: 77 percent of parents across the U.S. reported missing work due to issues finding childcare; 36 percent have postponed higher education or training for the same reason; and 7 percent of families have had a parent leave their job in order to stay home and care for their children. MS. BERGLUND continued to slide 13 and said that over $50 million in grants have been distributed to childcare providers for the purpose of helping childcare centers remain open. She added that the federal aid for childcare centers is nearing its sunset date and following that the challenges faced by childcare providers will continue to grow. She offered her opinion that public funding for childcare is necessary to reduce outmigration from the state. 3:35:20 PM MS. BERGLUND continued to slides 15 and 16 and stated that only one-third of children are considered to be ready for kindergarten, and that childcare plays a role in education. She added that there is "a lack of respect" for childcare employees that underestimates their role in preparing children to succeed in school. She added that 1 in 6 members of the state's workforce are able to participate because of access to childcare, earning a cumulative $1.9 billion in wages. 3:39:35 PM REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS commented that the state of North Dakota is pursuing wage increases for childcare workers to complement the increased training they are receiving, and suggested that it is a model that should be considered by Alaska. 3:40:24 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what an "ideal" situation for childcare would look like, and whether the state has had such a situation in the past. MS. BERGLUND answered that in her 16 years working at thread Alaska she had not met a family that had found "accessible, affordable care that meets their needs." She stated that access to affordable childcare has been a challenge for decades across the U.S. In response to a follow-up question, she said that there are other places to look to for inspiration when it comes to achieving accessible and affordable childcare. REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked Ms. Berglund who she believes should pay for childcare. MS. BERGLUND answered that thread Alaska believes that it is the responsibility of everyone. Parents bear the greatest responsibility for the cost currently, but thread Alaska is looking to businesses and the government to help reduce the cost to parents. In response to a follow-up question, she defined "all of us" to mean all of the people of Alaska. 3:44:01 PM REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK noted that the federal government contributes $84 million towards childcare in Alaska, while the state contributes $36 million, and asked whether there were other states where those two figures were closer. MS. BERGLUND answered that Alaska contributes relatively less than most other states towards childcare. 3:45:21 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked what size investment the State would need to make in order to "close the gap." MS. BERGLUND answered that $30 million more would be needed to solve the problem in the short term. 3:46:38 PM ELIZABETH SCHULTZ, Community Relations Manager, Help Me Grow Alaska, co-offered a PowerPoint presentation [hard copy included in the committee packet], during the Child Care Overview in Alaska presentation, to introduce Help Me Grow Alaska as a call- center that is a part of the All Alaska Pediatric Partnership. The organization talks to families around the state about what challenges they face when it comes to accessing childcare. On slide 2, she stated that families are facing difficulties balancing the demands of their jobs with caring for their children. 3:49:03 PM MARCY ASH, Community Relations Coordinator, Help Me Grow Alaska, continued with the PowerPoint Presentation begun by Ms. Schultz to slide 3, and gave an overview of how the difficulty of finding childcare affects military families. She said that many military families are single-parent or dual-income families, with the second parent working outside of the home or also being a member of the military. Both of the childcare facilities on Joint Base Elmendorf Richardson (JBER) have waiting lists long enough to cause military families to have to consider off-base childcare facilities. She stated that Alaska is considered by the military to be an overseas assignment, meaning that military dependents that require certain services must be screened by the Exceptional Family Member Program (EFMP) to receive a permanent change of station (PCS) in order to ensure that the new station will be able to provide for the needs of that dependent. This results in some families being unable "to PCS" to the state of Alaska or having to be reassigned away from Alaska if a sudden change in availability for care occurs. She added that the Valdez Coast Guard base is at risk of losing its "family friendly" designation due to a lack of childcare options in the community. MS. ASH continued to slide 4 and stated that lack of access to pulmonary treatment is a challenge for military families going to Fairbanks if they have a child with asthma. If a family must travel to Anchorage, Alaska, to see a specialist, it is not considered to be available care, limiting the people who may receive a PCS to Fairbanks, Alaska. She said that it is also difficult to recruit doctors in the state because they also have issues with finding childcare. 3:55:04 PM MS. SCHULTZ skipped to slide 6 and stated that there are 3 steps that the Alaska State Legislature should take to mitigate the problem of lack of childcare access in the state. She stated that the legislature should use the data provided by Help Me Grow Alaska regarding the needs of children and families, establish a legislative childcare policy workgroup, and provide additional funding for the Head Start and Early Head Start programs. 3:58:24 PM DEB ETHERIDGE, Director, Division of Public Assistance, gave a presentation titled "Child Care Program Overview" [hard copy included in the committee packet] that introduced the Child Care Program Office. On slide 2, she stated its mission: to support families looking to access childcare. She continued to slide 3 and gave an overview of the Child Care Development Fund (CCDF). The fund is authorized through the Child Care and Development Block Grant Act and administered by the Child Care Program Office. The purpose of the fund is to promote healthy child development and school success, support working parents and parents who are continuing their education, help low income families pay for childcare, and provide support to the childcare system. MS. ETHERIDGE continued to slides 4 and 5, presenting the structure of the Child Care Program Office. The office provides licensing for childcare providers, administers subsidy programs, and works to improve the quality and capacity of Alaska's childcare programs. 4:01:51 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked what the Childcare Development Fund is and how it is funded. MS. ETHERIDGE answered that it is a block grant provided to the state by the federal government. 4:02:38 PM CHRISTINA HULQUIST, Public Assistance Programs Officer, Alaska Department of Education and Early Development, added that the amount received for fiscal year 2023 was $22 million. The amount of money granted by the federal government has a requirement that the state matches the amount received. She said that 70 percent of the grant must be used to subsidize the cost of childcare for low income families. 4:03:28 PM REPRESENTATIVE FIELDS commented that the Childcare Development Fund is not something that exists in Alaska; instead, a plan is submitted to the federal government detailing how the state will use the federal grants. 4:03:53 PM MS. ETHERIDGE continued to slides 6 and 7 and gave an overview of the childcare licensing and the different types of childcare licenses. She stated that the 3 types of childcare providers that the department issues licenses are: home providers, which is a single childcare provider that cares for up to eight children in a home; a childcare group home, which requires 2 providers and can care for up to 12 children; and a childcare center which cares for 13 or more children and requires a qualified administrator and a caretaker for every 30 children enrolled in the center. She said that there are two exceptions to needing a license for childcare while benefitting from the Childcare Assistance Program, which are relatives and in-home providers. Examples include a grandparent caring for the grandchild and a provider who goes into the home of the children to care for them, both of which would still be required to meet the standards of the Childcare Assistance Program to benefit from it. MS. ETHERIDGE moved to slide 8 and gave an overview of eligibility for the subsidies and benefits of the Childcare Assistance Program. There are 2,832 children in Alaska enrolled in childcare services between 379 licensed providers and 9 approved providers. She said that the grants cover the subsidies for eligible families, providers that accept subsidized children, and providers who care for children with special needs. 4:07:44 PM REPRESENTATIVE SADDLER asked for clarification of the difference between the approved and licensed providers. MS. ETHERIDGE answered that an approved provider is a provider that is eligible for the Childcare Assistance Program but is covered by the exceptions for family and in-home providers. 4:09:40 PM MS. ETHERIDGE continued with slide 8 and stated that childcare providers have multiple ways to use the grant for the purposes of improving their programs. She said that Alaska Inclusive Child Care Program provides grants to childcare providers that care for children with special needs in order to help those providers better care for those needs. MS. ETHERIDGE moved to slide 9 and stated that the department has a goal of improving the quality and capacity of childcare programs in the state. This is done through promoting childhood development, supporting parents that are working and/or continuing education, supporting childcare employee training and professional development, and increasing education to the public on the subject. 4:13:10 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked if the number of providers given in the presentation included those not accepting subsidized children. MS. ETHERIDGE answered that it did. In response to a follow-up question, she said that that number did not include providers that cared for four or less children, as those providers do not require licensure. MS. HULQUIST added that the State of Alaska does not have a way of knowing the number of children being cared for by providers that do not require licensure. 4:15:03 PM REPRESENTATIVE CARRICK asked if the state currently has an early childhood strategic plan, and if so, who is part of putting the plan together. MS. ETHERIDGE answered that there is a comprehensive plan in place for early childhood care. MS. HULQUIST added that private and public stakeholders across the state participated in putting the plan together, including state government agencies, parents, and childcare providers. 4:16:39 PM ADJOURNMENT There being no further business before the committee, the House Committee of Labor and Commerce meeting was adjourned at 4:16 p.m.
Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
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DOH DPA CCPO Overview 02.13.23.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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Legislative Testimony Feb 13 SB.pptx |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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HB 46 Letter of Support.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 46 |
A2P2 HMG-AK ECN Testimony on Child Care Needs.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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HMG-AK Program Director Testimony.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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House L&C Hearing FEB 13 - Read-Only.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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AK Childcare Fact Sheet 3.0.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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L&C February 13 Klouda.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
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HB 46 Supporting Document - UA Center for Economic Development Nolan Klouda.pdf |
HL&C 2/13/2023 3:15:00 PM |
HB 46 |