Public Policy Issue Forum on Child Care
The Greater Des Moines Partnership, along with Capital Crossroads and the Young Professionals Connection (YPC) hosted a Public Policy Issue Forum on Child Care on Tuesday, February 16, 2021, including myself and the following guests:
We discussed the child care challenges faced in Greater Des Moines (DSM), as well as legislative proposals and ideas to address the issue and how DSM can ensure accessible and affordable child care options for the workforce. Other child care challenges and solutions were covered by the other panelists. Patton shared the challenges of recruiting and sustaining the child care workforce and other roadblocks in starting a child care center. Iowa CCR&R has resources to assist in solutions to those issues. VandenBosch shared the successful public-private partnership in subsidizing and forming the Yellow Iron Academy, a child care center for Vermeer employees and the community.
Here at Conmigo Early Education Center we are monitoring several child care bills.
Child Care Bills
HF292
HF 292 requires the Iowa Department of Human Services to set the reimbursement rate under the state Child Care Assistance program for providers whose reimbursement is under the 50% level of the most recent market rate survey.
HF301
HF 301 creates the Iowa Childcare Workforce matching grant program under the Early Childhood Iowa (ECI) board to offer matching grants to communities for child care WAGE$ Iowa Program. The proposal includes requirements for matching grants and deems that any money in the matching grant fund remaining at the end of the year remain eligible for future years.
HF 302
HF 302 establishes a 12-month phase-out of eligibility for childcare assistance after the gross income of the family has increased, sets a scale for payments, requiring the graduated phase-out to be implemented by July 2022.
HF260
HF 260 allows a child care home to care for five children if none are school-aged; six, if one is school-aged and seven if two are school-aged. The bill defines school-age children as being between the ages of 4 and14.
The Partnership is registered in support of HF 292 and HF 302 and undecided on HF 301.
For more information on the Public Policy Issue Forum on Child Care, I suggest watching the event and using other resources below:
More Child Care Resources
Join the Greater Des Moines Partnership for the next Public Policy Issue Forum on Broadband on Tuesday, April 20. Register here.
The Partnership's Public Policy team engages with local, state and federal officials to create public policy that generates economic growth, business prosperity and talent development in Greater Des Moines (DSM). The Partnership is a nonpartisan organization.
Claudia Garcia Brown
Claudia Garcia Brown is the board president (2019-2022) for Hispanic Educational Resources (HER). She is an analytics consultant for Wells Fargo in Downtown Des Moines (DSM) and is active in the Woodland Heights Neighborhood Association and the Hubbell Elementary PTA.