Legislature(2021 - 2022)BELTZ 105 (TSBldg)
04/13/2022 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Confirmation Hearing(s) | |
| Presentation(s): Child Care in Alaska | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 160 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 232 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| *+ | SCR 10 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
ALASKA STATE LEGISLATURE
SENATE LABOR AND COMMERCE STANDING COMMITTEE
April 13, 2022
1:30 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Senator Mia Costello, Chair
Senator Peter Micciche
Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson
MEMBERS ABSENT
Senator Joshua Revak, Vice Chair
Senator Gary Stevens
COMMITTEE CALENDAR
CONFIRMATION HEARING(S)
Alaska Worker's Compensation Board
Matthew Barth - Anchorage
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
Real Estate Commission
Chad Stigen - Palmer
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED on 5/2/2022
Board of Dental Examiners
Dominic Wenzell - Girdwood
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED on 5/2/2022
Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers
Valery Kudryn - Wasilla
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED on 5/2/2022
Board of Certified Direct-Entry Midwives
Hannah St. George - Fairbanks
- SCHEDULED BUT NOT HEARD
Board of Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors
Sterling Strait - Anchorage
- CONFIRMATION ADVANCED on 5/2/2022
PRESENTATION ON CHILD CARE IN ALASKA
- HEARD
SENATE BILL NO. 160
"An Act providing a premium tax credit for flood insurance;
relating to flood insurance; relating to property insurance;
establishing the Alaska Flood Authority and the Alaska flood
insurance fund; and providing for an effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
SENATE BILL NO. 232
"An Act providing a premium tax credit for flood insurance;
relating to flood insurance; relating to property insurance;
establishing the Alaska Flood Authority and the Alaska flood
insurance fund; and providing for an effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 10
"An Act providing a premium tax credit for flood insurance;
relating to flood insurance; relating to property insurance;
establishing the Alaska Flood Authority and the Alaska flood
insurance fund; and providing for an effective date."
- BILL HEARING CANCELED
PREVIOUS COMMITTEE ACTION
No previous action to record
WITNESS REGISTER
CHAD STIGEN, Appointee
Real Estate Commission
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
Palmer, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as an appointee to the Real Estate
Commission.
VALERY KUDRYN, Appointee
Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
Wasilla, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as an appointee to the Board of
Certified Real Estate Appraisers.
STERLING STRAIT, Appointee
Board of Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as an appointee to the Board of
Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors.
DOMINIC WENZELL, Appointee
Board of Dental Examiners
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
Girdwood, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Testified as an appointee to the Board of
Dental Examiners.
BLUE SHIBLER, Executive Director
Southeast Alaska Association for the Education of Young Children
Juneau, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Delivered a presentation on child care in
Alaska.
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO
thread
Anchorage, Alaska
POSITION STATEMENT: Discussed the current situation of child
care in Alaska.
ACTION NARRATIVE
1:30:45 PM
CHAIR MIA COSTELLO called the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting to order at 1:30 p.m. Present at the call to
order were Senators Gray-Jackson, Micciche, and Chair Costello.
^CONFIRMATION HEARING(s)
CONFIRMATION HEARING(s)
Real Estate Commission
Board of Dental Examiners
Board of Certified Real Estate Appraisers
Board of Architects, Engineers, and Land Surveyors
1:32:01 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO announced the consideration of Governor
Appointees to Boards and Commissions. She asked the appointees
to identify the board and seat to which they were appointed,
whether this was a new or reappointment, their professional
background, and their interest in serving on the particular
board.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Chad Stigen to offer his testimony.
1:33:04 PM
CHAD STIGEN, Appointee, Real Estate Commission, Department of
Commerce, Community and Economic Development (DCCED), Palmer,
Alaska, stated that he was appointed to the broker at large
seat, he had been licensed since 2014 and became a broker in
2018. He was asked to serve on the commission and has a specific
interest in protecting consumers who are buying and selling
smart homes. He offered his belief that Alaska ought to create a
standard procedure for handing over smart homes to ensure that
licensees have the necessary guidance to protect consumers'
privacy. He noted that other states had done this. He said his
broad and well-rounded experience in different aspects of real
estate should be helpful to the board.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked him to provide more detail on the
challenges associated with handing over a smart home.
MR. STIGEN said he didn't believe this was an issue in Alaska
yet, but he has learned that there is a proper way to ensure
that once the real estate transaction is complete, the previous
owner no longer has access to any of the smart devices in the
home. The licensees also need guidance to ensure that they are
protected from the liability associated with the improper
transfer of smart devices found in homes. He said he didn't know
what the commission could do about the growing issue of people
being recorded when they're viewing smart homes, but he feels
that some sort of disclosure would be in order.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Mr. Stigen and advised that all the names
would be forwarded in one batch.
1:38:12 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Valery Kudryn to introduce himself.
1:38:24 PM
VALERY KUDRYN, Appointee, Board of Certified Real Estate
Appraisers, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development (DCCED), Wasilla, Alaska, stated that he became a
certified residential appraiser in 2010 and this would be his
first reappointment. His primary goal in serving is to
strengthen the public trust in appraising by updating the
certification process and ensuring common sense regulations are
in place. He said the board has been working to modernize the
education requirements to reflect the trend toward online
instruction. Alaskans particularly need this flexibility because
qualifying education credits are not available in the state. He
opined that his experience as a residential appraiser provides
an opportunity for him to relay the perspective of local
Alaskans to the board. He has enjoyed serving on the board and
looks forward to another term, should he be approved.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked if it had been an issue that just four
members were serving on this five-member board.
MR. KUDRYN replied the general real estate appraiser seat has
been vacant, but it has not been an issue for the board to meet
the quorum requirement and move forward on agenda items.
1:41:23 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE noted that the administration was having
trouble finding qualified people to serve on the various boards
and commissions. He said he'd like some feedback to understand
what might make this type of service more attractive.
MR. KUDRYN said he hadn't thought about that but in his case, a
former boss suggested this service might be a good opportunity.
He was asked to serve and agreed to do so as a way to give back
in general and to the appraisal industry specifically. His only
experience with board meetings was through Zoom, and he wasn't
sure how he'd feel if he had to devote a lot of travel time to
attend meetings. He said the appraisal industry had been very
busy during the pandemic and the work schedule had been taxing.
That might be part of the problem with the vacancy on this
board, but he wasn't sure about how other boards were affected.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Mr. Kudryn for appearing and being
willing to serve.
1:44:45 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Sterling Strait to introduce himself and
share his interest in serving on the Board of Architects,
Engineers, and Land Surveyors.
1:45:01 PM
STERLING STRAIT, Appointee, Board of Architects, Engineers, and
Land Surveyors, Department of Commerce, Community and Economic
Development (DCCED), Anchorage, Alaska, stated that he is a
structural engineer who has worked in the engineering field for
nearly 15 years. He was appointed on 03/01/2022 to fill the
civil engineer seat. His interest in serving on this board stems
from being raised to give back, so he has always looked for ways
to give back to his community through his profession. He hopes
to help guide the future of engineering in Alaska and help
future engineers learn about the licensing process. He looks
forward to serving.
CHAIR COSTELLO said her personal passion is to "grow our own"
engineers in Alaska. She asked if he was an employee of Alyeska
Pipeline Service Company.
MR. STRAIT answered that's correct.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked what he sees as the main challenges facing
architects, engineers, and land surveyors.
MR. STRAIT replied that as it becomes more difficult to obtain a
license in these fields, he worries that it may eventually
affect the supply of engineers and other licensed professionals.
Another concern is that as the world becomes more connected,
there is an increased likelihood that engineering for Alaska
projects may be done outside the state and perhaps in other
countries.
Responding to Senator Micciche's question about how to encourage
people to serve on boards and commissions, he said that from the
board's standpoint the application process is an impediment. The
board hears from people who have applied to serve but they never
hear from the administration.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked him for being willing to serve and for
sharing that perspective so the legislature can do what it can
to keep the lines of communication open.
SENATOR MICCICHE said he had heard that too and he would support
providing additional help to the department and for this
committee to hold discussions about improving the process.
CHAIR COSTELLO explained that the process is run through the
governor's office and she would be willing to talk to the Third
Floor to look for a path forward.
1:52:07 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE commented on the destabilizing effect when
single term governors politicize membership on boards and
commissions.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Mr. Strait for being willing to serve.
1:53:23 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Dominic Wenzell to tell the committee about
his interest in serving on the Board of Dental Examiners.
1:53:36 PM
DOMINIC WENZELL, Appointee, Board of Dental Examiners,
Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development
(DCCED), Girdwood, Alaska, stated that he applied for
reappointment to the Board of Dental Examiners. He recounted
that he graduated in 2003 from Oregon Health Sciences University
with a doctorate and moved to Alaska shortly thereafter to work
in a children's clinic in Kenai. He referenced the comment about
politicizing membership on boards and commissions and relayed
his experience with the Alaska Dental Society working to resolve
issues before they become an official complaint. He said he is a
proponent of patient protection through self-regulation of the
dental profession. As such, he is in the final stage of
developing a penalty matrix that investigators can rely on when
dentists have to go before the board. He noted that he is also a
dental licensing examiner for CDCA and ADEX. He offered to
answer any questions.
1:56:55 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO asked what he sees as the main challenges facing
the board.
MR WENZELL said the investigation process takes too long. When a
complaint is forwarded for investigation, the board hears
nothing until the matter is resolved, and that can take a year.
Meanwhile, the dentist is still practicing. This is a problem if
the complaint was related to patient care and the dentist's
skill level. He said his preference would be for the
investigation to be done more quickly so the dentist gets help
in the area that is needed and patients are protected.
CHAIR COSTELLO responded that she takes this seriously and her
plan is for her office to follow up to ensure that the
department conducts its investigations timely so that complaints
are resolved more quickly. She highlighted that boards are self-
regulating and the licensee fees pay for any investigations so
it can be significant for a profession to have a bad actor.
MR WENZELL said he agreed completely.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Mr. Wenzell for being willing to serve
and taking time to appear before the committee.
2:00:52 PM
At ease
2:03:07 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO reconvened the meeting, and opened public
testimony on the governor appointees to boards and commissions
that the committee heard from today. Finding none, she closed
public testimony on the foregoing appointees.
^PRESENTATION(S): Child Care in Alaska
PRESENTATION(S): Child Care in Alaska
2:03:59 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO announced the next order of business was to hear
presentations from Blue Shibler and Stephanie Berglund on the
status of child care in Alaska. She conveyed that the committee
heard from a variety of professionals in the field about the
challenges of finding people willing to work in child care, the
lack of availability, and the high cost for parents.
2:05:08 PM
BLUE SHIBLER, Executive Director, Southeast Alaska Association
for the Education of Young Children (AEYC-Sea), Juneau, Alaska,
stated that she had worked in the child care field for 20 years,
the last 10 years of which she owned and operated the Discovery
Preschool adjacent to the Capitol Building. She said she wanted
to talk about her experience working in multiple roles. Her
first job was with the Juneau Montessori School and she was
dismayed to learn that she couldn't live on the wage she was
earning for this very important work in human development. She
said it's unfortunate, but that dichotomy still exists.
2:06:28 PM
MS. SHIBLER mentioned the current workforce shortage across all
fields and posited that the lack of affordable child care for
working families was a large part of the problem. She cited a
recent study published by the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development (DOLWD) that found that in March 2022, 12.9 percent
of Alaskans with children under age 5 had to work fewer hours
that month due to issues associated with child care, and five
percent of those families had to quit a job because they
couldn't find affordable child care.
MS. SHIBLER highlighted that when she operated the Discovery
Preschool, she found it disheartening to learn that the
custodians the state paid to clean the center earned several
dollars more per hour than her highest paid lead teacher. Those
custodians also enjoyed state benefits that she was unable to
offer to her employees. She said she believes that it's the low
wages that explain the market failure of child care as a
business, not just in Alaska but across the nation. She noted
that the DOLWD study she previously mentioned also found that
nearly one-fifth of Alaska's child care facilities have closed
since March 2020, due in part to the lack of workers.
MS. SHIBLER said the child care industry is at an impasse.
Families are unable to pay higher tuition and the tuition, which
is the sole source of revenue for most providers, is
insufficient for providers to pay wages that will attract and
retain quality teachers.
2:09:29 PM
MS. SHIBLER said child care is an integral pillar of a robust
economy and the long-term success of Alaska's children. It
therefore needs to be a top priority for the state to build a
stable early-learning system that ensures every parent can find
affordable and quality child care. She said the Alaska Reads Act
is an important step towards that priority, but it's now time to
recognize the critical role that child care plays in the
economy.
CHAIR COSTELLO requested her remarks in writing if they were
available. She then asked for her perspective of what families
pay per month per child.
MS. SHIBLER said it varies throughout the state but on average
it's about $1,000 per month per child. She added that there is
research that shows that the difference between what parents can
afford to pay and what it actually costs to provide child care
is close to $500 per month.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked what a child care worker in Alaska
typically earns per month.
MS. SHIBLER answered that the starting wage is a little more
than $10 per hour.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked if the workers she hired at Discovery
Preschool worked for eight hours per day.
MS. SHIBLER explained that the employees work eight hours, but
the center is open for 10 hours so there has to be more staff
than one might realize. She shared that personnel costs often
were up to 60 percent of expenses.
2:13:18 PM
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON asked if child care workers receive any
benefits, health care in particular.
MS. SHIBLER said benefits are very rare and when they are
provided the program is generally employer sponsored so the
child care worker becomes an employee of that business. She
cited Credit Union 1 and Providence Hospital as examples.
SENATOR MICCICHE commented that the wage may be survivable in a
two parent home, but it's less feasible for a single parent with
a couple of children to pay $24,000 per year for child care. He
said he hadn't thought about that impact on the workforce but
it's real.
2:14:50 PM
MS. SHIBLER agreed and added that it's a worst case scenario
when parents have to choose child care based on what they can
afford as opposed to what is the best fit for their family.
SENATOR MICCICHE calculated that parents need full time care for
infants until age 5 at which time afterschool care is needed. He
asked it the $1,000 per month per child estimate is for fulltime
care.
MS. SHIBLER answered yes.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked for the cost of care for school age
children.
MS. SHIBLER said that in Juneau it's about $800 per person per
month for before- and after-school care.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if age 12-14 typically was the cutoff for
before- and after-school care.
MS. SHIBLER said she believes that many parents allow their 10-
12 year old children to go home by themselves after school. She
noted that the Rally program manager in Juneau said that very
few fifth graders attend Rally.
2:17:29 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE asked if there had been a study on what a
family spends on child care over the life of a child. He said he
was trying to figure out what it will take to attract and retain
child care workers, although it's clear that the cost of child
care is already too expensive for families that are just
starting out.
MS. SHIBLER stated that a number of studies show that Alaskan
families spend between 12 and 20 percent of their income for
child care, whereas the national recommendation is that child
care should cost no more than six or seven percent of income.
Responding to the question about the sweet spot to retain child
care providers, she said other states have made a public
investment into the system and child care providers move up a
career ladder and pay scale based on education and experience.
She highlighted that Alaska has the foundation of those
programs. The City of Juneau has such a program that is
administered by AEYC, and thread has the foundational support to
start something similar statewide. That program manages a career
ladder in which child care professionals can participate. She
suggested the members ask the next presenter about that program.
SENATOR MICCICHE asked how pre-K fits into the equation, when
and where it's available.
MS. SHIBLER answered that the public pre-K programs in Juneau
use child care to provide wraparound service. The children are
in child care before and after they go to the pre-K program.
It's part of what is referred to as a mixed delivery system of
early learning.
2:21:44 PM
CHAIR COSTELLO asked how COVID-19 affected the child care
workforce since many parents were able to work from home and
their children stayed home too.
MS. SHIBLER answered that in Juneau there has been a decline in
child care enrollment of children ages 3-5, but working from
home and having your children there too probably isn't best
practice for either and overall won't affect the need for child
care.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked what her experience was with waitlists for
child care.
MS. SHIBLER replied every program in Juneau has a waitlist,
primarily for infants and toddlers. During the time that she
operated Discovery Preschool, which was up to the fall of 2020,
she had an average of 100 families on the waitlist at all times.
She acknowledged that the waitlists in Juneau probably weren't
that large currently, but close.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked if the Department of Labor and Workforce
Development (DOLWD) keeps information on waitlists.
MS. SHIBLER answered that she didn't believe waitlists were
tracked, but child care licensing tracks license capacity.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked her for the information and taking the
time to inform the committee.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Stephanie Berglund to provide her testimony
and to feel free to respond to any questions she'd heard today.
2:25:08 PM
STEPHANIE BERGLUND, CEO, thread, Anchorage, Alaska, stated that
thread is a 35-year-old nonprofit child care resource and
referral organization that works statewide to increase access to
affordable and quality early care and education, with a specific
focus on child care. She said thread strongly supports expanding
pre-K as a way to increase access to affordable quality child
care in Alaska.
MS. BERGLUND relayed that she recently read an article about the
federal infrastructure bill and the funding that is expected for
projects in Alaska that mentioned the concern about developing a
workforce to tackle the projects. She said her thought was that
the people working on these projects would not be able to find
child care. Child care is a critical infrastructure that allows
all other work to happen, but the system is underfunded and in
need of public investment. Investing public funds to support
this sector is needed to support Alaskans returning to work post
pandemic and to grow a stronger Alaska. She stressed the
importance of treating child care as a vital part of the
economy. Prior to the pandemic, child care was in crisis and
access was out of reach for many families. This has been
exacerbated over the last two years. She said bold policies are
needed to support working families and child care programs. This
means investing in this critical infrastructure now and for
years to come.
2:27:36 PM
MS. BERGLUND stated that the three pillars needed for a strong
child care sector are access, affordability, and quality. She
described access as the supply of child care needed to support
families with the care they need, and highlighted that the pre-
COVID-19 2020 Early Learning Economic Impact Report said that
access to child care was getting more difficult across Alaska.
She said thread is monitoring the demand for child care and how
the changes in how people work affect supply needs. It was a
short term solution early in the pandemic when people switched
to working from home and were able to bring their children home
too, but it was not sustainable. Now thread's referral service
is hearing from families that cannot find the care they need and
big businesses that are saying that their workforce is unable to
access care. In just the last six months thread is hearing more
from families that are unable to work, largely because of a lack
child care. This leads to slower economic growth, which affects
everyone, whether they have children or not.
2:29:53 PM
MS. BERGLUND stated that the State Chamber partnered with thread
this past fall to conduct a U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation
family survey to understand the intersection of business and
child care during the pandemic. Some of the highlights were that
more than 75 percent of the parents that were surveyed reported
missing work due to child care issues; 36 percent of families
were postponing higher education and training due to a lack of
child care; seven percent had left their job due to child care
issues; and that the Alaska economy had an untapped potential
due to the inability to meet families' child care needs. This
translated to an annual economic loss of $165 million.
2:31:13 PM
MS. BERGLUND reported that in 2019 families were paying 17
percent of their household income for child care, although some
single parents were paying over 34 percent of their household
income. For families with two children their average child care
expense exceeded the cost of housing. In 2020 the average annual
cost for child care was $12,000 for infants and $9,000 for
preschoolers. In Alaska, this is more than the cost of college
tuition. During the pandemic families left employment or worked
reduced hours, which made child care even less affordable.
2:32:10 PM
MS. BERGLUND directed attention to the video she submitted that
talks about a family with three children that paid $36,000
annually for child care. The current system isn't working
because the cost is too high for parents and child care
businesses are barely making ends meet when they rely on family
tuition alone. This is why more public and private investment is
needed. Most child care programs in the state are open but
because of a workforce shortage they are not able to operate at
full capacity. These positions are particularly difficult to
fill because the competition for workers is high, child care
professionals generally earn less than $25,000 a year, and these
jobs generally have no benefits. To help address this crisis
situation, thread is working through the System for Early
Education and Development (SEED) and using COVID relief funds to
offer a wage stipend. It is noteworthy that early educators
report spending the stipend on health care and mental health
benefits.
MS. BERGLUND said another difficulty is that there is a lack of
respect for child care professionals. They are often called
babysitters when they are actually responsible for preparing the
youngest Alaskans for school and beyond. The human brain
develops 90 percent by age five, so it is in this critical time
that child care professionals are building key foundations of
development, including early literacy and social and emotional
development. This important workforce needs respect and the
compensation it deserves.
MS. BERGLUND said the number one indicator of quality in child
care is the teacher, and today they are exhausted and poorly
paid. The stress this causes results in high turnover, poor
continuity, and lower quality of care for young children.
Quality child care is licensed and regulated, it supports
stronger families, and has demonstrated short and long term
benefits for young children. This includes stronger language
development, higher high school graduation rates, and increased
long term health. Children who receive a strong start save money
in the short and long term on many of the social challenges that
the state is facing today. Unfortunately, many of the poorest
families cannot afford access to child care, despite studies
that show that those most in need benefit the most. She said
even fewer families have access to high quality child care.
Those programs that participate in Learn and Grow are Alaska's
Quality Recognition and Improvement System (QRIS). Currently, 35
percent of eligible programs are participating in Learn and Grow
and with more public investment, it would be possible to
increase the number of programs participating and would result
in stronger child outcomes. When programs follow high-quality
standards, the result is education that is more developmentally
appropriate, stronger child care workforce support, increased
family engagement, and curriculum led instruction tailored to
meet the individual cognitive, social, and emotional needs of
all children.
MS. BERGLUND stressed the need for different ways to support and
solve the child care needs in Alaska. She said the federal COVID
relief earmarked to support child care is short term and thread
believes it will be insufficient to stabilize the child care
sector in Alaska. Thread estimates that child care needs $10
million per month to survive post-COVID. She noted that in
December, 51 percent of child care programs reported they might
close in the next 6-12 months.
She said access to affordable and quality child care pre-COVID
was a struggle and the focus now should be to strengthen child
care so that is thriving, sustaining, and more equitable. Thread
sees great potential from public investment to strengthen and
support child care that will benefit all Alaska.
MS. BERGLUND stated that thread has endorsed HB 149, which
supports creation of a child care trust fund. This would help to
address many of the current challenges and create the first step
in needed new public investment in child care. She said the time
to act is now to set a stronger trajectory of success by invest
upstream in early childhood and child care. It will be a win for
government, businesses, families and young children.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked Ms. Berglund and said she would make sure
the members received a copy of the video.
2:39:11 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE mentioned his interest in the child care trust
fund bill. He asked if there was any data on the difference in
the educational outcomes between children who stay home with a
parent versus children who go to daycare because both parents
are working.
MS. BERGLUND replied there isn't a lot of Alaska-specific data
but she would provide some of the many national studies that
demonstrate that children who have access to high quality child
care experiences and early learning opportunities are more
prepared for school and do well throughout their lifetime. In
Alaska, just one in six children have access to child care and
according to the Department of Education and Early Development
(DEED) benchmarks, only 31 percent of children are considered
prepared to enter school. She added that thread strongly
believes that a parent is a child's first and most important
teacher, so it's about getting support at home and in the
community to ensure that children are prepared to enter school.
2:42:42 PM
SENATOR MICCICHE said he looked forward to receiving the data.
CHAIR COSTELLO asked Ms. Berglund to talk about the importance
of flexible working hours for parents. She noted that the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce survey showed that parents ranked state
governments that had flexible work hours as number two in
importance.
2:43:31 PM
MS. BERGLUND said the report emphasizes that the best thing
employers and businesses can do is to be as flexible and provide
as many family-friendly benefits as possible. She acknowledged
that it's not feasible in all work situations.
CHAIR COSTELLO thanked her for taking time to share the
information with the committee.
2:45:30 PM
There being no further business to come before the committee,
Chair Costello adjourned the Senate Labor and Commerce Standing
Committee meeting at 2:45 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Matthew Barth Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Matthew Barth Resume_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Chad Stigen Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Dominic Wenzell Board Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Dominic Wenzell Resume_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Valery Kudryn Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Valery Kudryn Resume_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Hannah St. George Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Sterling Strait Board Application_Redacted.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
GOVERNOR'S APPOINTEES |
| Early-Care-and-Learning-in-Alaska-Report.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
Child Care Presentation |
| US Chamber of Commerce - Untapped Potential in AK.pdf |
SL&C 4/13/2022 1:30:00 PM |
Child Care Presentation |