Republican lawmakers on Tuesday promoted an ambitious plan to strengthen early childhood education as a way to avert a looming crisis when pandemic-era federal aid to the child care sector dries up.
Sen. Danny Carroll of Kentucky introduced the bill in a Senate committee, where lawmakers delved into issues he said would have short- and long-term effects. Lack of childcare prevents some parents from working, leading to lower labor force participation rates. Carroll said strengthening early childhood education builds a strong foundation that contributes to students’ later success.
“We must use this crisis we face to change the way we think about early childhood education and what it means,” Carroll told the committee. “It’s not babysitting. It’s not childcare. It’s not day care. It’s education.”
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The Senate Families and Children Committee did not vote on the omnibus bill Tuesday, a week after Carroll announced his proposal. Carroll, who chairs the committee, said he expects the committee to vote as early as next week. He said much of the discussion revolves around the bill’s price tag, currently set at $300 million over the next two fiscal years.
“If you look at the big picture of this issue, it’s worth the investment,” Carroll told reporters after the meeting.
Senators are currently reviewing the two-year state spending plan approved by the House of Representatives and plan to eventually offer their own version. Final budget details will be worked out by a conference committee of House and Senate leaders. Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers.
Kentucky Sen. Danny Carroll speaks to reporters about early childhood education legislation in Frankfort, Kentucky, on February 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Bruce Schreiner)
Republican state Sen. Julie Rach Adams said she was impressed with the bill’s comprehensive approach, noting its potential impact on getting more Kentuckians into the workforce.
“We’re hearing from all sectors of society that they have workforce challenges,” she says. “And we will never solve our workforce challenges until we solve this critical part of child care.”
This bill comes at a time of uncertainty for childcare workers and parents nationwide. The $24 billion in pandemic aid Congress passed for child care businesses in 2021 is running out. Republican state lawmakers across the country are responding by supporting child care programs.
Still, the biggest investments in child care have come from Democrats. In New Mexico, the state uses a trust funded by oil and natural gas production to pay for child care for most children under 5. In Vermont, Democratic lawmakers overrode the Republican governor’s veto and passed a payroll tax increase to fund child care subsidies.
Carroll said the state needs to step in because Kentucky has lost about half of its child care workers over the past decade and is at risk of losing more if federal aid runs out.
“This time, we want Kentucky to lead the way and set an example for the rest of the country,” he told the committee. “And we have an opportunity to do that.”
Carroll’s bill has drawn praise from business and children’s advocates.
His bill, called the Horizons Act, would include state aid for families struggling to pay for day care and child care. It would create a fund aimed at increasing the availability of early childhood education services and fostering innovation in early childhood education.
As part of this effort, the state’s community and technical school system will offer an associate’s degree in early childhood education entrepreneurship to help more people run child care centers.
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Carroll’s early childhood proposal stands in contrast to one supported by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear. The governor proposed providing preschool to all 4-year-olds in Kentucky. His budget plan included $172 million each year of his two-year budget to accomplish this. He said the program would expand early childhood education to an estimated 34,000 additional four-year-olds and free up space in childcare centers for more young children. His proposal has made no progress in the Republican-controlled Congress.
On Tuesday, state Health and Family Services Secretary Eric Friedlander, a key member of Beshear’s administration, touted the governor’s Universal Pre-Kentucky plan at a committee hearing while praising lawmakers for their focus on early childhood education issues. .
“Investing in these children is exactly what we need to do as a commonwealth,” he said.
