Child care is one of the hottest topics in public discourse today, and for good reason. The pandemic magnified many of the system's longstanding challenges, from inadequate funding to inaccessible and inequitable care. The sector is finally (if a bit slowly) getting the attention it deserves, and several universal truths have emerged:

1. Child care is a bipartisan issue. Although specific strategies and priorities may differ from right to left, all of society benefits from well-funded and well-functioning early care and education systems.
2. The ROI for early childhood investment is staggering. From a purely economic standpoint, few investments pay off as strongly or as consistently as early childhood. The National Forum on Early Childhood Policy and Programs estimates returns between $4 and $9 per every $1 invested in high-quality early childhood programs.
3. Child care is ripe for modernization. We're not going to see sustainable gains by pouring more money into the old way of doing things. Better data and technology infrastructure will reduce barriers to entry, improve efficiencies, and give policymakers the data they need to make informed decisions.

November 2024 Updates

Child Care Ballot Measures Win Big on Election Day

This year’s election was widely billed as a pivotal one for early care and education at all levels of government throughout the country. While most of the predictions were based on campaign promises and party line priorities, several counties and municipalities featured specific ballot measures on the topic of child care funding. Here’s how they fared, as summarized in the Hechinger Report:

Washington state’s Initiative 2019 failed (64% No, 36% Yes). The measure would have repealed a three-year-old capital gains tax that has supported child care subsidies and funding for providers.

Travis County, TX voters passed Proposition A (59%-41%). This property tax increase will provide $75 million in funding for affordable child care spots, closing the gap left by the end of federal pandemic relief funding.

Colorado’s La Plata and Grand Counties, along with the City of Montrose, all passed measures to either increase or redirect lodging and hotel taxes to help pay for child care, among other initiatives.

Sonoma County, CA voters passed Measure I (63%-37%). This countywide sales tax increase will pay for child care and children’s health programs, with an emphasis on children experiencing homelessness.

St. Paul, MN was the lone holdout, with voters rejecting the 2024 Early Care and Learning Proposal (60%-40%). This was a bit of an unusual case, due to vocal dissent from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who told voters that his administration would not implement the program even if it passed. Carter cited financial concerns, namely that the total cost of the program would be more than 5x what was on the ballot. The St. Paul Federation of Teachers also lobbied extensively against the measure.

Australia Considers Higher Wages for the ECE Workforce

The Australian senate is currently reviewing proposed legislation to increase wages for early childhood educators by 15% over a two-year period. Education Minister Jason Clare, in supporting the bill, said what ECE advocates have been shouting for years:

“The childcare debate is over - it’s not babysitting, it’s early education and it’s critical to preparing children for school..A pay raise for every early childhood educator is good for our workforce, good for families, and good for our economy.”

Although half a world away, the Aussies’ Wage Justice for Early Childhood Education and Care Workers Bill could potentially serve as a template for initiatives closer to home, especially as more states look to fill the funding vacuum left by the expiration of the American Rescue Plan and other pandemic relief programs.

Deregulating...Bananas?

On October 18, representatives Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (WA-03) and Virginia Foxx (NC-05) introduced the Cutting Red Tape on Child Care Providers Act. This proposed one-sentence amendment to the Child Care and Development Block Grant of 1990 would add the following language:

“The state shall not create any barriers on the simple preparation of fresh fruits and vegetables for facilities, licensed or license exempt.” (Congress.gov)

It’s tough to find examples of more innocuous proposals than this one. Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez, citing anecdotes from her constituents, believes it’s currently easier to serve pre-packaged, ultra-processed foods in child care facilities than it is to serve fresh produce. That’s obviously a problem.

Washington’s Department of Children, Youth, and Families has been adamant that there is no such regulation, and follow-up reporting has revealed that it's likely more of a misunderstanding than an example of bureaucracy gone wild. Perhaps this is yet another call to action for licensing bodies to make more of an effort to ensure regulations are plainly written, clearly communicated, and accompanied by sufficient educational resources and supports.

A recent report from the Administration for Children & Families revealed significant gaps in accessible licensing guidance documentation at the state level. Deregulation is a sticky subject, but if the so-called “Banana Act” can teach us anything, it’s that there may be an opportunity to remove some of the perceived barriers faced by providers by simply communicating things a little better. Kudos to those states that have already made this a priority.

Virginia Board of Ed Moves New Licensing Standards Forward

The Virginia Board of Education entered the homestretch in their three-year journey to update their child care licensing standards when they sent the proposed new Standards for Licensed Child Day Centers for regulatory review on October 22.

The new regulations have been a priority ever since the Child Care Subsidy Program and child care licensing and monitoring was moved from the Department of Social Services to the Department of Education (VDOE). The updates include a number of measures aimed at improving child safety, the removal of burdensome requirements that are no longer relevant, and a promise of ongoing clarification and support services from VDOE. Virginia was recently ranked as the 10th least restrictive state for childcare regulations in a report from the Knee Regulatory Research Center.

In response to several provider concerns brought up in a public hearing on the proposed standards, the board removed at least one requirement mandating the use of liquid soap and will be following up with additional clarification on screen time and other issues. Per the Virginia Mercury, the regulatory review process is expected to be completed in six to eight months.

Restaurateurs Bring Child Care Issues to the Table in Texas

The Employers for Childcare Task Force (E4C), led by the Texas Restaurant Association, Early Matters, the Texas Association of Business, and Texas 2036, unveiled a detailed plan to make child care more accessible and affordable in the Lone Star State.

After months of planning and meeting with child care experts, the group has emerged with a policy blueprint that is already drawing bipartisan interest from state legislators. Some of the ideas the group cooked up include:

• Creating an information resource center
• Establishing a grant program to enable providers to expand into high-need areas
• Using tax credits to encourage employers to split the cost of care with employees
• Pruning outdated and unduly burdensome licensing regulations
• Bringing down insurance costs

Time will tell whether these business-led efforts are a recipe for success, but we expect the involvement of the largest industry in the state of Texas to carry plenty of weight heading into the legislative session.

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Child Care Matters is sponsored by BridgeCare, the leading data and technology infrastructure provider for government agencies and organizations working to build an ECE system that works for everyone.

Connect with one of our specialists to learn how BridgeCare can support your modernization efforts in Pre-K, subsidy management, child care resource & referral, licensing and supply, and more.