Aging & Legislative Affairs- House Children & Youth Subcom.

To approve the minutes from June Eads meeting. Do I see a hand Cindy Crawford thank you all in favor say aye. Anyone opposed no. Thank you okay we're going to move on so. I I I want to make it very clear that child care is not a mom issue it is a parental issue to begin with but it is a state issue and one huge issue that I think our state is facing is work force and so we're going to start out talking more about child care and making sure that not only do we have more childcare but that we have quality child care you will hear a lot in this discussion about the importance of quality childcare in the complications and difficulties there but then also I hope that members and others can stick around to the end we have a lot on the agenda because we will be talking I'm a little bit more about work force and how child care affects economic development in our state so just because I have our department of the economic development down there at the end doesn't mean that their least important so if you can stick around and join us for the entire conversation I I would appreciate that the first thing we're gonna show was just a little bitty I like to start off on a real happy note and sometimes thinking outside the box is so it's very important in this video was shared with me about a month ago and I said I love this idea we actually presented this to another committee that I serve on its Alzheimer's disease and dementia advisory committee and we presented at that meeting and they love the idea so I'm just trying to get a whole bunch of players to like this idea and see what we can do later on we're not gonna have too much discussion on this and I don't want to tell you too many details because I want you to experience the joy of watching the video without having any conceived idea but I'll let you go ahead and play this video from Little likes. Yes we have. Graphite Gesch. Hi. Ninety one years old actually. Great children every morning when they get manager corporations. It is very very wonderful feeling. Just a real experience. I want to say hi to all the kids are going to see this. My name is social. This year will be ninety four years old. Okay there five years. Sure glad Wallace for bringing the children. What we could be with a. I enjoyed. I get every day of the shell bill. The great grandfather for two great grand kids but they live in Chicago. I don't get to see a. What I was saying these kids here every day. My name is Betty long and I'm a grandmother to the kids I enjoyed coming down reading to them on Monday Wednesday and Friday usually on Tuesdays and Thursdays I play with them. And they're just very enthusiastic very very. Loving. But it is a foster. They are covered all about three and a half years. Former teacher. In public schools. And the southwestern college in Winfield. And I fed experience from the kindergarten through college. But I've never been more challenges that I have been with a little box they're tough but are this week. What do you think Roger what do you like to do with the kids with the kids. Or just like to be around them. the interact with. Your next question is to what what it has done. And its impact on my own life. I have to tell you the. You're ninety years old you really don't know how you're going. But I felt several years ago like I had already done a good. Almost ready to say that I gave up a lot of. My interest is. I have a problem. Expressiveness but I I I wake up in the morning. So totally different than I did. Just two years ago. I have a reason for getting up. All my life. But never had the feedback. That I get. For these kids no I see. A little four year old kid. Responding in a way that. I have never received. Thank you for just a second. There's a little outtake. If you want to tell the story about what a kid asked you or you want me to always as to their children do you have any questions you'd like to ask me in yes they do and sometimes they kind of get off track but I always kind of taken aback by this question I said I was a little battle ship in the navy in World War two. And they said were you killed in the war. And I said I don't think so I'm here. So there courses like that they're asking you never really know what they're going to have but there's okay here's. There's also areas. Thank you. Thank you. Okay Blake thank you as our our guests come up I do want to say that that is a program that is not here in Arkansas it's in Kansas it was the teacher of the year tab at the of twenty twenty tap at the Ross Perot E. that's how you say the last name you'll can start coming up M.. Anyway I this was the program that she was involved in and it got some national recognition and was brought to my attention by both Tanya and gena Dickey who will be joining us and Gina can explain why she calls that type of program a three for and I love that I have use that phrase over and over again talking to people a three for and we will also be talking to south side school district in just a little bit about their three for program as well I even think it's a for for okay. And I think as we as we think about child care we need to be thinking about how we can involve and solve more more problems in one way so I'm gonna let you to introduce yourselves and Start your presentation. Tonya Williams director at the division of child care and early childhood education. Genetic you I'm actually the immediate past president of Arkansas early childhood association sorry past chair for the public policy committee and maybe my day job that's most relevant today it's I do consulting work on systems building for early childhood education most recently this year worked with Connecticut on a quality improvement system as well as the United Arab Emirates on the quality improvement system. I'm gonna start the slides that are up or actually maps that we created in our division free covid all right before we started doing expansion in supply building so I wanted you all to see it's a little bit hard to M. probably see this but as I move forward you should start to see in that slide that has preschool a lot more Dotson gonna go back. And then go forward so in Arkansas because we have a a funded pre K. program there's virtually pre K. in every county. There's some ability to get pre K. in every county between head start in Arkansas better chance what there isn't is infant toddler care and so when you're a new mother and you need to go back to work that is sometimes a big missing gap in communities so the last slide is another gap area and it's school age or what we call out of school time here so think before and after school if you have to be at work at eight and school starts at eight or eight thirty you have to get them there a little before so a lot of pressure at parents have to use child here to get their child to school and at in the afternoon because we don't get off at three or three thirty when school gets out we still have to work for a few more hours so school age care was also a big gap so I'm going to navigate between these like tells me that my slides are up here and I'm just gonna talk about this is really just an update and it's an update from the originally scheduled meeting so I have some even further exciting news to share today we have roughly two thousand one hundred twenty eight losses childcare programs in the State of Arkansas and this is just a breakdown of what that looks like there are you know obviously a lot more center based care and those range in size from programs that take care of twenty children to programs that take care of several hundred children there are family child care homes that we license and those range in size from programs that serve fewer than ten children but about ten children at two sixteen children that's the maximum amount allowed and then we have what's called out of school time these are all just school age that do not take care preschool age children and then we have what's called registered homes they are much like licensed child care homes but they're just registered voluntarily through us they can get resources that we have there also one hundred seventy three early intervention day. Programs those are funded predominantly through Medicaid or through private insurance for children who need therapies developmental speech and specifically medically connected children are served in these programs that is the capacity for the entire state I will tell you that during covid it was around one hundred and seventy two thousand at different times so we've seen that come back up post code or as we're moving out of covid am I also put in the slide and I can send the sizzling representative may very but I find that a lot of people don't know that we have an online automated search engine for anybody in the state or outside the state to look for child care you can look for it by county by zip code by city it will tell you what's available in the community by the levels of quality so when you pull that up for your let's say you pull that been. It will show you level three programs first and just go down and the sending level to level one level three would be our highest quality that means they meet a lot of a lot more standards than just regular licensed childcare they meet some additional standards for quality. It's not moved that next one this is a little more information about better beginnings our our quality rating and improvement system so we have about three hundred eighty programs in the State out of that two thousand one hundred twenty eight that are not participating that's a variety of reasons that could be we do see faith based program sometimes they're a little bit concerned about that although we do have a lot of churches and faith based programs who do participate it's it's voluntary unless you take federal Tucker dollars from us in Arkansas better chance also has quality standards and require this so and head start actually does too so some programs if it's publicly funded probably have a mandate or some kind of criteria for quality but for programs that just take paying children there's not a mandate for those programs you would totally be voluntary and then you can see the five hundred fifty a level one for seventy eight at two and seven hundred and twenty at level three I wanted to mention the military child here because I'm real excited about this and it's just happened in the past few weeks but we've been working with the department of defense and folks here in Arkansas camp Alliance on helping our military families access childcare through throughout the state and one of the challenges was the department of defense has really high quality standards for early care and education and I have looked at our better beginning system and and made a determination that Arkansas is a state that they can partner with and allow military families to access our program if they're at a certain level of quality in our better beginning system that was just announced a couple weeks ago over here at the capitol from the department of defense so we're really excited about that these exciting for Arkansas as a state but is really exciting for military families in the state that need child care assistance and could not use their military voucher before so we're gonna be working to make sure they have access to all the information they need for those families. I also wanted to because I'm not very good at celebrating the big victories that we have but I wanted to make sure that you all knew that Arkansas was recognized about two months ago for being number one in early childhood education in the country. It's one of those things that we don't we don't talk about but it wasn't just pre K. which we've made a significant investment in in the state it was how we coordinate how we work together to serve families it's about our better beginnings quality rating and improvement system it's that we do not have a childcare waiting list in our state so it's about the rates that we pay our provider so it was it was really a very comprehensive look at quality and it's really an honor for Arkansas to be number one on that list the only state to be number one on the list. And then I want to share a little bit about you know what happened during the pandemic because I'm part of national get list serve things and you know if you've been around this world it's really easy to think there's there's a crisis well I would say there's probably always been a little bit of a crisis in childcare you know it's a very underpaid workforce it's not a wealthy you're not making money in these programs if you're doing it and so but the pandemic I think illuminates the importance of it. For those that maybe didn't realize it we can't people can't go to work if they don't have child care it's really a big serious issue but I wanted uses the data in Arkansas because I think that's really important I heard across the country because some states actually shattered or close completely their child here we never did that in the state ever we have schools that closed in that close in preschools for a window and that impacted those programs but we never close down truckers and all child care programs have to close we closed whenever a program voluntarily said I've got covid I need to close that's the only time jobs in a minute and so we've had forty eight programs permanently close during the pandemic forty eight. But during that same time we approved two hundred and sixty programs to open new program these are new so I just wanna make sure there's factual information for you all that you know that we did not lose programs we actually gained this is from nineteen this is from about March middle of March of twenty two a couple weeks ago it's probably a few more now we probably actually approved some more in the last couple of weeks but I think that's really significant and this is just a breakdown of what that looks like for those programs and then I wanted you to see I think this is also a big part of it and you played a role in that as usual and as you have approved the appropriation and plan for some of the funds as we've moved through three different funding sources for the child care development block grant and to see how much funding our programs have had available to them which is significant M. this was again a couple weeks ago it's probably a bigger amount now but out of that six hundred and twenty four million six hundred and twenty four million dollars that's been available for child here we have given directly to programs four hundred and seventy eight million as off a couple weeks ago that has helped program stay open that is help them operationally remain open its help some of them improve their quality it's help some of them expand and I'm going to talk a little bit about that I wanted you to see the annual amount that we get from the Federal talker block grant just to see the difference so our normal amount that you all approved for appropriation is roughly eighty million per year so I think you know that's a significant investment to early care and education M.. This was again a few weeks ago so expansion at that time is on this list but I have some updated numbers I'm so excited I had to write him down and I can send these representative may very but you know we had one thousand seven hundred fifty five infants approved for expansion when we originally scheduled this meeting it is now two thousand ninety seven. For toddlers you say that was two thousand one hundred nineteen it is now two thousand six hundred and seventy nine for school age kiddos it was two thousand nine hundred sixty four and three thousand four hundred thirty five now as of today and the end we had eighty slots in family child here because that is an important access point for some families and I want to utilize family child care it's smaller and that works for them so we were able to fund expansion and of eighty slots we now have a hundred and seven so we've grown that just a little bit since we originally did the slide and then I wanted to let you know that we are equally supporting the work force through our teach and wide scholarship through the Arkansas early childhood association we made a significant investment with American rescue plan act funds that you all approved last spring to put forty million in that to help our workforce continue to grow and to improve their skills so they can get a credential or a scholarship to get a college degree and that helps them be better qualified in the classrooms and that will go through twenty twenty five so we'll have that available through twenty twenty five I have not seen the most current numbers we had fifty and last year before we did the expansion and the last number I had was a hundred fifty and folks that had applied during the summer so I'm sure it's bigger this fall M. and I'll be getting reports and can share that if you all are interested and then you know a coolly we have served over seventeen thousand children and families that are considered essential workers these are families that are over are typical low income child here are not foster care are in transitional work at three ten a so that eight that will end in December so I just you know I've mentioned that we're sending notices to these families this was probably one of the most concerning things that we did but we also knew. That in order for families who were an essential jobs to work week this could be a help and it was certainly something that the fans were willing to do so we are messaging those families it's an application that this is temporary one time but I just wanted to remind you all we are we we noticed them every month we're getting close to that end and December thirty first is when this funding will be completely gone and these families will go back to paying as they were before the pandemic started so they're above our income if their income eligible they can go on our regular low income child care assistance program and we have move some of those families over in the you know during this whole time if they were eligible we've made them into the regular low income childcare M. and then again we provided supports and I've given you that amount so I'm gonna just end with representative Mayberry had asked me about school districts that might be working in the space so I just pulled all the programs that had an infant and toddler and preschool and school age licenses in the state it doesn't mean they're actively serving I know some of them are I talk to them sometimes but this is the entire list that I had that is has a license to serve babies and preschool and school age kids so I want to make sure that you had. And I know we have questions that people want from you but I'm gonna let Jean to talk next and share her information then we'll ask questions to both. Thank you I am happy to tag team with director Williams I think it was shared up some purple maps I think or an addendum I think to what director William shared as far as access when representive baby Mayberry at connected with me we were talking about supply and demand as well as quality and I appreciate that's how she started today's conversation one of my favorite factoids when we think about quality is that it is likely that a child who attends early education programs as an infant and tell the kindergarten is going to be in a care facility for eleven thousand five hundred hours and just to give you a frame of reference that's the first day of kindergarten till the end of night great so when you think about the impact that is short period of time has on the largest portion of brain development for young children it's absolutely essential anything Arkansas should be very proud of all the steps we've taken incrementally over time to improve that quality as director Williams pointed out somebody thinks we're number one so it turning our attention to the issue of access I think is exactly the right timing in this conversation but as representative may bear And I discuss it's really about what's the real question because if you heard from constituents I can't find child care what I think is there maybe three different issues happening and we're not really sure when you say that what you mean by that and so as you've seen in the maps in as a director Williams mentioned foreign for a threesome forced you have a lot of child care and looking at these these heat maps from ajito map standpoint it looks like we have more than we need sometimes of access to threes and fours but one cabbie ought to understand when we talk about supply it is not really that econ one. one definition of supply what we mean is capacity which is what Director Williams said so when the state licensed a program based on the square footage of the program we get we assign it a capacity both at the rate at the room level and program level that does not mean that that program ever intends to serve that many children and in fact in many cases when we're talking about quality it would probably not be who that to serve that many children so we don't really know what the supply and demand situation is at any given moment we know what the capacity is so that's one little piece there when we look at this map we're talking about capacity which is one of the reasons you might see that looks like there is an in a plethora of options in a particular County but we may not know that I may be licensed for a hundred but I never intended care for more than seventy two because we're going to keep that ratio low and it because the adult child interactions and so important so when people say they can't find care it's most likely if they're looking at just access its for infants and toddlers and another example a director Williams work incrementally is taking the federal dollars and adding almost five thousand new slides that was very intentional it was very purposeful and it was based on the needs across the state so that new maps gonna look much better in the months to come in we've actually already asked to update that in the in the weeks ahead but it is unlikely that the infant toddler is a crisis in your community there's just not enough license capacity and we also know that many grandparents may have been that caretaker in the past but are still working themselves so it just it puts parents of young children in a bind as far as access especially for their youngest children but when you act they say that they can't find child care they also mean mean mean they can't find health care that they can afford so which is a different. Blem right so one recommendations from an economic development standpoint is that no family should ever pay more than seven percent of their income for child care and I have a really nice test group of one in my own little personal Petri dish I'm a grandmother of a two year old and a four year old so Snoop around with my kids and said exactly how much you're paying to house that compare to your mortgage and they're paying twenty three hundred dollars we a month sorry twenty three hundred dollars a week which is almost double to their mortgage so if if we did the math right there seven percent that have to be making about four hundred thousand dollars a year and they are not about two miles from here they lived in stiff station down off a capital few so that challenge that they have as a middle income family is tiny mention some of the best quality is an early head start head start Arkansas better chance we have about yours for families that qualify and if you've got that four hundred thousand dollar range you can probably find something pretty good we are squeezing families in the metal dual income families college educated families homeowners that in this particular example I ask if I could share what it means pain that level of child care is when home improvement things come about they recently had eight hundred dollar bill for plumbing it's hard so it's very challenging to make ends meet but and really in this case they're paying for childcare they can afford but they know too much to not do it right and and lucky in Little Rock to have access to quality even if with the the rate of pay so I think that is when your constituents as I can't find care they may be saying I can't find care I can afford which is different than the access issue as far as supply and then the third which makes it even more complicated to this dilemma is that I can't find care that I would put it right and is. The program I don't feel comfortable with the quality of care there is a marked difference between minimum licensing requirement which is the division of child cares responsibility keep kids healthy and safe and what we know to be best practice for quality and the biggest difference is the education and experience of the person providing the care that you there's been several meta analysis done in the past twenty years that just looks at every research that's ever been done on the quality of early education and they come to the same conclusion about the quality of the don't child interactions and we can hire an eighteen year old girl I will say with a high school diploma and we cannot expect the same level of interactions from that individual as we do with the bachelor's degree in early childhood in a public pre K. setting but we can't compensate anyone in the community program in the same way we do is subsidized programs in school based programs so I think this issue of access and supply and demand is just a really complicated one and until we really can tease out when we hear constituents say I can't find care which thing do they mean do they mean there's not a slight for my infant toddler there's not a quality program I would put my child in four I can find both of those things but I can't afford it so that's what makes this really a complicated conversation the the only other piece I wanted to add before I hope you have around the questions and I think between miss Williams that I we we're gonna try to play stump stump the early at people today so whatever you know we we think we're ready we did some homework with that whatever questions you may have but really thinking about the economic infrastructure of early education one thing that people don't typically understand is that a a program that's for profit I say almost in air quotes is a four percent profit margin and for the business people amongst this group most of us would go into business for four percent profit margin so where you. Find some high quality programs often is a school setting where there's some subsidy to that either from the state for a per child per student right allocation but also I've got the I got the space I got the bus driver I got the cafeteria that some resources already baked into this you'll find it in faith based programs often times a charge may see this is an outreach to the community in a resource so they don't charge rent they can put that money intuition into higher salaries or improved spacing furnishings so there's always been this sort of mechanism for a partnership when we're talking about high quality and representative Mayberry talk about my three for and the idea I worked with a group of employers in Tarrant county which is where fort worth is in a lifetime ago and the cheer of our organization was from Northrop Grumman and when we were recruiting other businesses to be a part of the program Mormon we talk about three for when he was pitching it to a business person and he said you already invested in K. twelve so what we know about infant brain development in young children you're going to maximize your investment by investing in early education from it K. twelve standpoint you've got employees who every day at three o'clock or calling home because they're worried about their latchkey kids and we know there was great research done and that nineties about an employee engagement and being concerned about children and their quality of care so if you invest in early education you've got a more engaged workforce and the truth of the matter is and you know about twenty five years they're going to be part of your work force and we know there's so much executive function skills happening in the first five years which are the things like problem solving regulating my own emotions so many things happening before they ever got to kindergarten and you maximize the opportunity for your future work force so Norman calls it a three for an of instilling that in using it I share that with representative Mayberry. Why do you think in the case of little Vikings if if the elder care facility is having difficulty attracting retaining a group of work force themselves in providing care on site in the community safe way is not only it's got that same three for but then the four for is the employees of this particular organization and their children and the in this case the the resident having a higher retention rate for their employees as well improving of quality time I stopped there we can get a little yes go. I know we have tons of questions and I want to ask more about some of this but I did want to bring up that you also gave me another it's exhibit D. to for for members it's this housing zoning in family child care some members had mentioned to me that they have folks who say that. Some of the requirements to have a facility it makes it difficult to have a facility and so if you wouldn't mind you all can say better than I can just kind of explaining maybe what some other states have done and if this is something we want to look at here in Arkansas yeah I'll make a couple comments this is really Gina so I'll let her talk about this report but I do want to say this that I've been looking at licensed care in Arkansas for about eighteen years and that I have watched over time more centers emerge and fewer homes over the eighteen years that I've been in this role I have seen that happen we had a lot more family child care homes eighteen years ago and because of that you get curious about what's happening and you know you start asking questions and you know I can tell you that it's you know people say regulations and so they call me. There are a couple of things that are in play here in a community if you're in a city you have to get permission from cities owning and if you're in a housing at subdivision you might have to have approval from that group so there's that then there's fire zoning in communities which is very very rigorous as it should be when young children are apply this is totally different than where children can get up and walk out of a building so the fire in cities owning and I'm this is listen I'm a big supporter of fire in cities owning I just want to be aware and I'll give you an example there is one city here in central Arkansas that only allows for children in the home. They have to they can't keep more than four that's below our standards that's below our regulations we require a license if you have six or more unrelated children and we will license a home for ten so in that community you would be six below what we would allow so that's just one example of difference and zoning requirements and those are different across this state I I can't speak to more of that because they're just so completely different from one city to the other at but that is one big thing solid you know talk about this report and what some states have done. Thank you for pointing that out I think what I intended to mention to I. think family child care is a real key for this access concern we have especially in the rule states like Arkansas there are The we can we have to look at a performing to really dig into deeply but given a general rule of thumb is you really need about a hundred a hundred twenty kids to break even if you can do this really well there is a tiny bit of economy of scale because it's really interesting because the mortgage you have the more that needs more paper supplies used so there's not the company's skills pretty free tight so we've got communities that couldn't support a program of that size without some sort of subsidy so family child care makes just good economic sense on that piece as well as infants and toddlers in a home setting is a lovely thing it just feels different than it does in as a center based what got biases both ways I do say that out loud and so I think this opportunity to expand family child care as a really a more vibrant small business opportunity in our state is something to focus on and S. as direct whims mentions is the zoning peace and the farmers will issues that are not this is not a minimum licensing standard and we look at this for a long time and it's really complicated from an advocacy standpoint because it city by city and so it's harder to do that so we've been really kind of keeping an eye on it but not quite sure what to do and what was this document that I created was really with some other states have done and they're also really great strategies particularly fond of Colorado's and I did have a meeting and in preparation of this conversation today with three colleagues that represent a large number family child care across the state in fact when I mention to them as I don't think we have a family child care provider in the state that one of them doesn't talk to regularly and so we talked about this specifically is something that came of interest to representive Mayberry and they're all for it so I think this one I I believe I've used to teach fifth grade and so I have a really bad tendency to like each drop on. Conversations in the room it's just a habit you started the fifth grade teachers necessary and I have colleagues here family child care professionals who I think the zoning issue as a problem for them right now I think what happens cities are create these regulations for small businesses with the best of intentions and we're kind of an unintended consequence so asking me to have a commercial kitchen in my home because of a biz I'm zone for business when this is my home this is the same kitchen I use for my family and every night and on the weekends is not a realistic expectation but I can see if you're having no leads. You know calf that new cafe down the road that seems like a pretty good idea to make that request so I think we get kind of swept up into unintended consequences with most of these zoning and fire fire codes. Okay I'm gonna open it up because I know how I I have members who want to ask questions so Representive Cooper. I think it's your constituents she's talking about so feel free to to share what's going on. Thank you ladies for being here and my constituents are let as actually in the audience I invited him to come down today so one thing that he brought to my attention is something that you just touched on and that is a dual licensure requirement. For in home care when you reach eleven children so once you reach the level the child you have to have additional licensure through the department of health as a retail food establishment I see the Department of Health is here the chair Commission maybe Mr Gilmore could help provide some insight on that. But I don't know if he was prepared to answer those questions I think it's kind of. but we're just asking for the for the rationale of that do a licensure requirement because that can be a barrier to make things a little bit more difficult for people to expand their operations are already in business. Matt Gilmore partner health if you repeat your question representative for her part of it. So there's a dual license requirement once an in home child care reaches that eleventh child in and that additional requirements to the department of health to be established as a retail food establishment so what is the rationale behind that because that dition requirement can make it more difficult for providers to expand their operations in in rural areas in the work we're needing them to be expand their operations to make that a little bit easier for them is that the result of rules from the department of health is that the result of legislation from past years what what can the legislature do to make things easier for you providers and for current providers to expand their operations you know when we can look at that I get some information for you I know that hospitals also have the requirement for their cafeterias schools have that so it's not just with day care but it's a very it is a I agree it is a extra step but I think it's. Just out of my head I would argue that's needed and I think it's a minimal fee I believe I'm not sure what that fee is but I don't think it's too onerous but I do understand it is one more license that is required I can get you some more information on that but it's not just for a day cares is for hospitals and for I believe nursing homes and things like that as well that even though they are license for something else it is a license to require because of the food preparation The New like its more information to you. Okay thank you for that and it's not just the the license itself but it requires retrofitting the home dual sinks things like that I mean there's additional costs there on top of just the additional licensure it's it's the food preparation process and just making sure that all meets you know set standards I I agree I mean it's it's more than just a license but I think from a from a health standpoint I think we will argue that it's needed but I can get you some more information as to what that looks like and maybe some the rationale when it went to a place okay thank you do you ladies have anything to add to that you know I would just say I'm sorry man I I didn't say department of health or health department requirements as well like this one that you mentioned you know I think going back in time you know it children can get really sick from food poisoning and things and that's probably a result of some of those things over time representative Cooper I don't I wasn't here necessarily at the time but I do remember when I came in people talking about why we had some of these because I ask questions about them in it was a result of some children who got really really bad sick and it's just sort of nationally standards about food prep and what is necessary to keep children safe I think we can look at those and just see where they fit in and if there's anything we can do differently but I apologize for not mentioning Department of Health we've always had a great relationship and March across including with fire zoning in cities owning but department about has a couple of places for the I look at things in licensed child care to make sure it's safe and food is one of those food prep is one of them. I would also say that we would encourage programs to take some of this four hundred and fifty eight million dollars that we've given them this would be a perfect place if they need to do that and haven't had the resource because it's one time money you know and be a great place to take that resource and use it so would love to if if you not talk maybe I'll talk to providers to make sure he's had access to those funds and and see if we can help without thank you. And that you'll pass along that information to Blake can help pass it along to the committee. Yes I'll get some information sure the committee. Thank you. any other questions from our. Group here. Yes a representative Bentley. Thank you chairman thank you ladies should be here today just as we're starting our budget process this weekend just about the top of my head thinking do we do any state funding at all does anything come out of our generation towards childcare. That's a great question representative Bentley there actually is a match and maintenance of effort requirement and so you all put in about seven about seven point two million and it's been that way the entire time that I've been here even though we've had federal increases they have increased the requirement of the state match so but for childcare block grant it's about seven point two million I believe. Okay thank you have a follow up chairman's that okay. Number Branscum members to ask. So on this Colorado law that you brought her thank you for that that was great so do you think that would we pass that here would help with some of these folks that are wanting to do home care and have issues with the fire marshal that be helpful if we. I do that here okay I do and I think we can I I would be happy to discuss that with them in more detail with family child care providers just a feel if there's something in there that I'm not picking up on that they would but I absolutely do and something that I wanted to point out to there are food preparation and kitchen sanitation criteria in minimum licensing and I think that's really what Colorado is saying that we're covering that do we need to cover it again in another way and I think it is been my experience and I since I'm talking for hers was she sitting right here thing say that all Director Williams is open to adjusting any sort of minimum license requirement if we found there was something in like the health department's requirement that wasn't being covered and minimum license in it we can marry those things together and just have one that team is always had that sort of disposition toward that sort of thing but I think the food preparation is probably more critical and I don't think that the health department standards really adequately address that it feels more of a facility standard not a preparation standard which direct Wayne's requirements already includes. Thank you. Any other questions from the committee. Okay when don't go anywhere because it's very likely will pull you back up as we continue our discussions but we do have several other presenters and I want to let the next group come up and I'm so excited about this because this is one of those at three firsts and maybe even for first an example of a school district that not only is helping early childhood but also helping our seniors in high school started career path and possibly even helping teachers and other faculty members who need childcare and just helping the community as a whole so um this is a presentation from southside school district and I'm gonna let each one of you introduce yourself and Tim Johnston could not be here today and in his place it's sign your right but Murray who be filling in for ten AM and we hope that Tim feels better he was ill today so will let you all take over introduce yourselves and share what you're doing my name is novella Humphrey and the director of curriculum and federal programs at the southside school district. Hello I'm Lisa McGee and I am the preschool director. Okay good afternoon sign right merry Department of Education Division of core technical education senior associate director. Okay I'm gonna start today but just tell me a little bit about our school district we are fifty one square miles we're not a very large geographic district we're located right along the highway one sixty seven corridor between ball not inmates will we have a lot of hard working families to travel that road every day to and from the rural home to work in maybe in manufacturing setting or the regional health care setting in the basal area and they choose us to serve their children over one third of the students enrolled in our districts are under school choice meaning they do not live in that fifty one square miles we believe that early childhood has had a large part of that school choice we see huge numbers coming from our preschool into Arkansas garden each year that are school choice candidates as I said we're hard working families along that corridor sixty four percent of our families qualify for free or reduced lunches at school to kind of give you it. Quick economic snapshot of that area and so we see early childhood is an investment it's an investment in our students it's an investment in our school and the feature story of our community. just to tell you a little bit about where we started I'm back in two thousand and three our current superintendents at that time and Mr Dan Foley Mr Roger rich had a vision for a quality early childhood center so they hired to assist on Jeffrey this is Connie Williams and I stolen away from us not that we're bitter or anything and she helped to lead this initiative in our district we went from twenty five children to certified teachers and miss Jeffrey serving as the developmental specialist in the preschool director. Now in twenty twenty two or level three better beginnings were palace school for the school the twenty first century three L. university we have ninety one ABC's lots thirty C. C. D. F. at our pre K. slots eighty two essential vouchers sixty seven paid tuition students seventeen low income vouchers we have eight certified teachers thirty four para pros fourteen part time child you know the list goes on and on we have seen so much growth growth in the number of students we serve growth in the services we provide growth and staffing this is our first year have a nurse dedicated towards that campus before school from other campuses now we have a nurse who serves on the campus half of each day we've also seen that growth in quality as with me to the level three but we have maxed out our facilities and we're gonna see some pictures of that in just a minute and all of this growth that pre K. legerdemain described in our K. twelve I've been in the district for twelve years and when I was first started the distributed out fourteen hundred students what about five kindergarten classes entering each year we serve nineteen hundred and seventy students K. through twelve this year and we have eight kindergartens classrooms on a regular basis so this freekeh growth is also impacted K. twelve. So this is where we began we refer to this is the little yellow house and the chips the road a small playground and this is where we are now. We have nineteen classrooms five buildings three playgrounds the infant room which is in the lower left hand corner of the picture there actually across the street it's probably the most renovated space on our entire district that infant space has been a school based health center it's been into classrooms it's been a technology center and it's also the front offices of our by shop so we just continuously use that space to meet the needs and right now we House twenty are by the end of the school year will serve twenty nine babies in that room we have additional playground under construction thanks to some of the cares Act many that we received and and things from Tonya Williams office. So just if you get classrooms. Then and now. Since we from. You are visual shots of our campus. One of the findings the school years the garden that you see in the middle between the buildings no matter how many you try to trick a three year old I know that boxes drivers really was not granted that garden because they're only for out there yesterday you write twenty in the classroom today the cost and that this is the full list the within this year but the gardens in a lot of fun. few more snapshots of our classrooms. Our playgrounds and again we have an a new playground coming fiscal years well to serve infants and toddlers as we've expanded that toddler area we also need to explain their pay playspace. So just kind of put in perspective how we grew we started the yellow house and back in two thousand and three and just as Tanya and gena talked about early childhood is not a profit stream it's an investment of our district the facilities have been built and acquired over time we these grants community support and district funds preschool is not eligible for partnership facilities funding from K. twelve so it has to all be in district funds as we grant has to be either look funding sources we've been resourceful we've been creative building three was actually built by a local contractor for cost he believed in the investment of early childhood and he built building three ACT has cost for us and so without that local investment we could not have had that expansion I'm sorry building two was the one built by our local investment building three was I'm bill would district funds due to high demand we had a couple of hundred students on the waiting list at that time we open at building three we got our waiting list under fifty are waiting list is back to two hundred again and we just continue to find avenues of growth such as the female storm shelter building which also served as the Geminid playspace for rainy days so just trying to combine those things. This is a look at that how we progress for ages we started out two thousand and three serving three and four year olds we had a two and a half year old toddlers and in the fall of twenty sixteen we added infants are in that room is not open to the public it is only open to employees children and grand children is our number one teacher recruitment and retention tool. When you work in southside school district you're guaranteed to have childcare for your infant as we've talked about that's not always available in our particular community last year in independence county there were over four hundred infants and toddlers wait list across all the centres if you work in our school you're guaranteed infant and child or infant child care so that's been a huge part of our teacher recruitment and retention. and these classrooms are responsive to the community some years we have more or less of this different age group we totally move furniture rearrange rooms we do whatever is necessary over the summer to make sure we meet the demands and needs of the community for child care. Lots of factors in our growth but the number one factor has been good people is the number one factor in our growth not only are preschool program in our district we're able to retreat from our CTE programs to find high quality employees to work in our preschool I'll give an example Mr Lisa is one of our teacher she's a ten year veteran of our district Mr Lisa started or childcare balancing development class in high school working and providing those model lessons in the classroom support that's part of that lab activity of that class she fell in love with preschool and preschool fell in love with Mr Lisa she graduate from high school she attended college locally so she worked in the preschool through college even dearest an internship she open and close the preschool she work before going to do our internship in another school district back in closed those are part time job all through college and she came back the next fall and talk for us and so as we were talking in preparing for this presentation we realized one in ten of our employees one in ten have worked in child care. So they either worked as a college part time job they worked as a part time job as a current employee so it's really been a a way that we can recruit starting that CD Class C. D. courses in at. it is hard work and childcare were open from six AM to six PM. And we're open year round so it's that constant staffing even when schools close for spring break the Christmas holidays we're open and so the constant your round staffing that we issues that we find and we couldn't server that are part time high school and college students and they work for us throughout those breaks another fourth grade teacher she was a teacher kebabs in our program which is now the pre educator program in collaboration with the T. E. to the teacher cadet she went off to college was able with their concurrent scholarships and program that we had in our high school be back in teaching in three years she had a teaching degree in three years and she was back during those three years she worked every Christmas break spring break and summer break and our school age child care so not only had she had lots of experience with school age students when she applied for a job we have lots of experience and we knew she was the quality we wanted in our classrooms serving our students on a daily basis. Lots of things that we do provide be on childcare we serve children six weeks to school age we have our and special education development services are co op our on our campus as well as those from a local educational co op we provide speech therapy we have a halftime nurse occupational therapy physical therapy mental health and then our preschool students have access to the school based health clinic located at our elementary campus and that's wonderful when you call it a mother at four forty five on Friday afternoon to say your baby's running temperature we can meet you at the health clinic and you can be seen before you go home for the weekend with that a sick child so it's a real plus for those families. Early childhood center and K. twelve and there's flash the list at earlier the schools that had and child care centers on the campuses and for those are located in independence county so we have At a strong network there that we utilize but it does come with its challenges there some successes we can talk about but also some challenges there early childhood rooms have ratios that quality care we don't compromise that at any time so those rooms have the and an age cap and they have that restriction so before school begins each year and like kindergarten or first grade or ninth grade we have to forecast promotions so classroom might not be a capacity when you walked into it right now there are students going to age out before Christmas you need to move into that age of classroom so when I talked about availability and capacity there are these things that happen in our early childhood that we have to consider we have to keep opening so as children past a certain milestone birthday they can move to the next classroom when you families me then we always have room for a first grader at their greater tenth grader we don't always have room for a preschooler. A difficult when they move in with a preschool and a third grader and we don't have the capacity to take that preschooler I would I partnership funding we have to use lots of other sources to do that and their challenges of being a P. twelve and it's a state created K. twelve system so just a lot of things we have to logistically work out but there are some benefits and expansion of the teach scholarship that machine and it's time to talk about early has an incredible previously we had to employees now we have ten you're working towards additional credentials and even their bachelor's degree in early childhood education but again little bit of differences there early childhood ABC recognizes the certificate of proficiency in early childhood title one does not to have to work have a workaround with that in our K. twelve system so we just have to constantly worked together to find ways and then in a huge benefit of having child care campus is our school age just like they talked about a few minutes ago when you finish your job at five o'clock school's been out for two hours and children the quality safe place to be and so we do provide that school age system I am is contracts teaching responsibility attitude courtesy and kindness I'm in twelve years we've grown it to about one hundred and seventy students it is open year round at six AM to six PM we try for to have more of a summer camp experience and less of a school experience during the summer months because these children there while their parents are working we are a safe consistent reliable child care location in the summer months were closed the fourth of July Memorial Day and the week before school starts so that we can do that last summer maintenance and also provide professional development for staff that's working there's just a few. Snapshots we are bowling with the local community water park right those are full center we do lots of educational fun trips as well as going to the movies in the pool once a week. There are great benefits for our district to have this type of setting that pre educator field experience with that students are high school CTE pathways are college students locally who return to do their education field experience we partner with our family consumer science department we employ Jack students we have part time jobs for future educators that one in ten of our K. twelve teachers have worked in child care including a principal and assistant principal who once worked in child care you can really grow up in the ranks of our child care system as an employee and as I talked about earlier the infant room is a huge recruitment tool. Our district has grown from twelve hundred students since early childhood came about our campus to ever nineteen hundred and fifty students the preschool director's part of writing ministry of teen we also can use this as a tool to prevent teenage parents for dropping out we have a high school student becomes apparent we also include them in our intention rooms we make sure they have the quality care they need in order to finish that high school diploma we have increased business and industry partnerships because of this and then families just becoming grand in our school culture that drive our high school because it's in the visible part you cannot see our pre school campus for highway one sixty seven she's a high school and the Lawrence referred to that as my school even though there about ten to eleven years from entering that building it's their school So and we have data to support this three years in the fall of twenty twenty one because when we prepared this presentation a couple weeks ago we were just finishing the map testing so we didn't have it for the fall of twenty twenty two kindergartners but sixty five percent of our preschool students entered at or above the norm right score for kindergarten reading and it compared to only thirty five percent of the students who did not attend southside preschool so we know that when students spend time in our preschool they are ready for school I walked into kindergarten classroom the first few days and the teacher looked at me she said well I can tell you who spend a preschool this morning Mr novella because just the the socialists of school that they know in the understand they know how to get in a line they know how to share they know how to take turns they know how to go to the cafeteria and get milk all of those little things that are so critical. The president also provides benefits to our community as as they were responsive to the needs of our workforce when K. they shut down our school system is shut down or child care centres we re opened and it was a lot of work but we re up in every single classroom based on employee work hours so we spoke to every family every employer and we group those classrooms because we had a staff in our early COVID restrictions in a different way so we're very responsive making sure we were able to provide the childcare needed for a work force we have a regional health care center that's open from six AM to six PM we have a family that the mothers asserts technicians two days a week that little girl is an early childhood center at six AM because that mother is and secretary she's providing a critical service for our community and we're making sure she's safe and well cared for some other can do that then she rolls onto her preschool day we're dependable were safer open all year we have a strong relationship with their chamber of commerce that's one thing from covid we had strong communication or chamber and our communication with our HR executives we know you cannot shut a production line down quickly working you restarted production line quickly in our manufacturing centers they have to have notice when we're closing and and that in that closing so that they can bring on those production lines on and off in a way that's both beneficial to them and to their employees were also able to support families to foster children in our community we always try to keep a couple of slots open so that if it foster family in our area unexpectedly has a preschool student placed in their home they were able to provide the childcare they need during that time it helps to grow stronger teacher pipeline in which really build us future stories from the ground that. Just a few more shots from our preschool. I was fantastic and I know we have questions but I do want to let sign your right Mick Murray had a share from a C. T. E. point of view how is this benefiting our students. To be involved in this yes so one of the presentation by south side to kind of TV up to give you guys a sense that there is a great opportunity for our students whether still in high school to begin to prepare for these careers and so through our programs of study and I know that you guys have had a hand out your package you can review that's how we begin to do a lot of that work so you'll see that there are three levels that are laid out so students can actually begin to prepare for a career in child care as early as the ninth grade and so even though it says three levels of acidic I start taking the family consumer science course as it might greater then move into the second level is a tenth grader and then the third level as eleventh grader and then having an opportunity to the career practicum. What we tried to do in your hand out is to underline those courses that will line to that program a study to be able to see how that flow works so student has an opportunity to move to the third level either taking dynamics of human relationships or child care guidance and management and services a long name but the child care management services is what was reference is that many students will take the opportunity to enroll in that course and get more information about preparing for those careers the benefits of being able to have a career practicum at that level as well that the student starts off early enough in their program of study when they get to the twelfth grade year we have an opportunity for them to a role in career practice of which is a work based learning experience that aligns to their program of study so there is a minimum requirement for students to be able to get the certification to be able to work in childcare forty hours of practice experience but if you enroll in a city program of study go to the career practicum you're required to have a hundred and twenty hours of correct in your first semester at a hundred twenty hours of group practice and your second semester so when a student is ready to sit for the certification they actually are getting two hundred and forty hours of that career practicum experience be on the minimum forty hours mentioning Jack is another great resource so Jack is designed for students that for some reason they have some berries that may prevent them from graduating from high school on time and as a part of that program we try to provide them with work experiences to be able to better understand how to prepare themselves for life after high school one of the courses as a part of the Jack programs to work based learning component and so we also have that two hundred and forty hours minimum within a year that you can get and it's all online to being able to get the course credit as well so this is also another great resource for students to be able to do that we have several teachers across the state that have been have had the ability to be able to get the additional pieces to the license or to be able to teach these courses and so we are. grateful that we now have thirty four programs across the state that are offering programs of study under humor Reese her medium in services that align with the careers that students will want to go into the related to child care so we know that we have quite a few students that are interested in that pathway we're doing quite a bit of work in that area to make sure that that is available to them as was also mentioned that be on the traditional child care program of study students also have an opportunity if they are interested in the pre educator program to take the second level course which is child growth and development as a part of that program of study so that when they leave high school and they want to go into education they already have that information and that training already built into their skill set so they're going on tour two or four year institution they're better prepared to go into the workforce we find that bank being able to go through a program of study take all the levels that are necessary even if a student is coming out at the age of eighteen and being hired they're more likely to be higher skill that another individual who did not go to that program of study and get that information on to the courses. One of the questions that I had asked on the on the phone with you it you know what are some barriers that are out there one barrier that was mentioned is that Sometimes a senior in high school is eighteen years old but sometimes or not and can you explain why that's an issue and what might be a solution and see if we can get that conversation started. We minimize the requirement is eighteen years old and so when a student is seventeen a senior they haven't reached their eighteenth birthday and there are maybe they've had three years in the child care guidance program and they're re ready for that career practice and but they don't turn eighteen until December of that school year they cannot County ratio they cannot supervise the student allowances it actually lands itself to us having to staff war in order to give that career packed amend that young person might be working we have both male and female students working their senior year in these programs and so we may have to staff more tax revenue of eighteen year olds as well as giving out student that experience we have some students who are quite capable any young lady who started the first week of school with us she was seventeen she worked alongside not supervising their works alongside so that when she turned eighteen the third week of September she was trained and ready we also have a lot of other students in that same situation who will not turn eighteen no further into the school year and so students who had that background and child care guidance and development class in the pre educator program this is their passion this is their future story we really would like to give that opportunity to them at a younger age. And then I'm gonna ask Tanya is that a. It It is something that is by rule or is that something by legislation. Operated up to check on that I can tell you that we did basis for that like an alternative compliance all the time I need. Supervision. I don't think it's all of the so that might be something that we can fix without legislation but you'll get back to us and let us know because that seems like that's something that should be simple to fix and would really make a big difference I'll just tell you my my my daughter who was just graduated last year high school she didn't turn eighteen until after she started college in August her birthday is August eighteenth so she started is seventeen years old and college so you know there there are probably attention a lot of students who you. Could utilize that I and our daughters turned eighteen earlier in their senior year so that when we work to fully staff that after you got a message at high school it's that when school that goes straight to preschool and second because the they it's so critical that were staffed and we tend especially with little ones to over staff to have that quality care and so having that ability to have this those quality seventeen eighteen old seniors would really help in afternoon especially the afternoons from providing that extended day. is there anything else legislatively that we can do to support this effort to move out of the way to get rid of some regulations do you have any other ideas for is because I think this is a great there so many aspects to this in teacher recruitment we've heard so much about you know the need for more teachers and the challenges that they face do the teachers pay for the child care or is it free for staff members our teachers master currently on essential vouchers at this time but they're leasing that in December so they will pay our rate is the cheapest in the county so they pay a hundred twenty five dollars a week for an intense. And they will that's what they will resume paying in December when if I had any sense allowance or when it expires it is open again only to our employees children grandchildren so we do have some paid students because they might be grand children of an employee in those rooms we again keep it Act costs because or even below we do not make money on instance would you not make committee on toddlers as rooms usually run in the whole and that we see that as an investment to help reach for recruiting retain our teacher said anything that provides that childcare experience enhances it would definitely be when you look at recurrence at retention and recruitment of teachers we really talked a lot both and and misli same with our our school administrative team in our past leadership about what would help over all and so again the seventeen year olds that are involved in the C. T. pathway being able to be part of that work force would help in our district we talked about school choice numbers we are in a rural area we do Max out we hit that cap at the school choice cap permits in neighboring students we have to turn down students under school choice so we would like to the ability if we have invested in that student in preschool if we've invested two years of early childhood education experience into that student would like to be able to retain them into Arkansas guard role even with the three percent cap from the residential district so we have to turn some preschool students away you've got you've been in our preschool may since you were two and a half but now you have to return your resident school district for kindergarten because we've had the cap from that district I'm so that would be a benefit first dibs District to be willing to invest in early childhood overtime. We would love and to see. As we insist on one of our preschool directors elect that we would love to be able to see to work with miss Williams to design a master at preschool director program I'm preschool director is not recognized at the same level a principal is recognized act in our district we do we value is maybe just as much as we value the high school principal at the middle school principal or the elementary principal she has two hundred and ninety six students and she runs a staff us about sixty five on a daily basis our elementary school has six hundred and for students and staff of seventy two. So when you think about the supervision of employees is is as much yours greats when you're not a high quality center as when you do an elementary school and so we like to see some things that allow that preschool director to be recognized if we could create working with miss Williams something like a master preschool program are are and we call that just because our principles are master principles training this week but for that certified teacher who's in that pres K. director's position such as miss McGee or Mister for in the past that they could have that same level of recognition as a principal one area that is the difficulty with law is under to test the teacher evaluation system miss McGee may not evaluate her certified teachers I have to evaluate her certified teachers because she doesn't hold a building administrator license and so in early childhood it's really important that we have someone with early childhood experience who has early childhood degree more seven that school administration because in early childhood interpretation or you're running about the business and an early childhood center and so it's this perfect balance that we have found over the years and so we would like to see that added over time that would be really critical and working with some of the districts that are on the slides today the same thing their early childhood directors are often really wonderful early childhood teachers early childhood special education staff members and then admitted into this director role is I have a passion and a heart for early childhood education and so to find a program that we can do not just between what DHS recognized ABC recognizes an apartment education to make that easier for preschool director to be recognized at that level. Any questions from members. Okay thank you for your presentation we have another group ready to come up and present I'm sure we will continue discussions. hopefully we've sparked some ideas and some creative juices are flowing our next group to come up is a a presentation from the about economic incentives for businesses interested in developing childcare facilities and jim Hudson chief of staff from the department of commerce is going to do a presentation for us I had no idea that in nineteen ninety I'm trying to remember and my getting that the you're right there was the early nineties early nineties early nineties anyway all all I'm I'm taking your funders you talk well good afternoon Committee afternoon the manager thank you for inviting me go up and and speak at jim Hudson chief of staff Parma commerce after the two previous set the panels I think mine's gonna be much less background and child care is this is not what our area is but child care isn't credibly important part of economic development you know as we think about the number one issue facing employers in the state right now it's workforce issues or poor quality issues having enough qualified workers to fill the thousands of open jobs that we have in state right now labor force participation rate about fifty seven percent of the eligible labor force in Arkansas is actually in the labor force either actively employed or they're looking for a job that's still pre pandemic levels for the statements about five percentage points less than what the national average is one the kind of more just a little bit of a discussion here out there about why that so is it shall cares when the factors and that's a fact that quickly hits women in the workforce know the probably bearing the greater brunt of that our state and so having adequate child here in Arkansas is an economic development issue and in the previous palace or much more qualified just. Eek to child care systems here in the state I do wanna give you a little bit of an employer perspective as we hear about it department commerce last year the Arkansas state chamber published a study on childcare in Arkansas provided a link to that study to committee staff and I think the route that to you for be able to read as well Mr just if you the take aways are in that report and so it's a well done report over third working parents here the state had to change employment recently due to childcare issues this is true across all income levels I think it was a mistake he was supposed to speak about those three factors of affordability and accessibility and quality as kind of been one as headwinds on childcare issues I think we've seen the affordability issue and the quality issue historically but the accessibility issue is probably more recent phenomenon that we're hearing about and I thought the the discussion of the capacity in distinction between capacity of licensure persons what the real world capacity is for childcare is really very important distinction because I would imagine that our child care providers or facing the exact same difficulties at all of our employers are facing in this state which is getting workers to be able to fill the jobs wrong countering as we go out to eat or accounting as we go to the store sent a different or actions in the economy I'm sure it's especially true for child care establishments as well so just because someone may be high income earner they may be able to insulate themselves to some extent again self portability issue they cannot insulate themselves against that accessibility issue and we're beginning here a little bit more discussion about this idea of a child care desert in certain places within the state again I think the teams or appear before me could speak more thoroughly about that the state chamber estimates that chop your issues hinder our economy in Arkansas by around eight hundred million dollars per year in terms of lost tax. The New from folks not being able to work it to the level they would like to work in lost productivity in businesses now this is I think are trying to rally to respond to this incident some extent maybe not as much from the direct delivery of child care but trying to anything come up with alternative workforce practices to help address the issue so we're talking a lot more about flex time these days and and be able to accommodate individuals needs in terms of being be able to be home more regularly to care for children who still may be in the home also having the option for telecommuting and he's been a huge issue as well that's helped but for this issue somewhat so against wanting knowledge it is an economic development issue it does affect the employers in the state specifically you asked me to come and talk about incentives that we have available through the ADC to facilitate child care in the state we do have a child care facility incentive as I mentioned when I first started speaking it was adopted back in the early nineties I can tell you that it has been used a grand total of zero times Mr been used we've had enquire res at different stages but no employer has seen that as an incentive program that they thought that they could make use of to provide a child care facility on their premises I think there variety of resides I just wanna point out that is exhibit F. members you should have this piece of paper and you can read what it is a sales and use tax refund and an income tax credit can you can you verbally explain briefly what it is sure so it's really two components one is it's an incentive to help offset some of the up front costs of actually constructing a facility so it is the refund of the sales and use taxes that are collected on materials that go. The construction of facility with a very similar sort of incentive for construction new business establishments this is just particular to a childcare facility that an employer wants to have on premises so it's initial instruction the second component that if offsetting a portion of the annual operating expenses the payroll expenses that go with that child care facility so three point nine percent income tax credit they get certain you know offset against the employer's income tax return I think you're that Ford for two years of they don't fully utilize it in a single year. That just some commentary as to you know why that's not getting used I think probably historically someone whose practice you know in business law for you know twenty five years I suspect liability issues have Mister a starkly been probably one the biggest things that may have been hasn't C. for some employers. But I suspect probably today if you talk to an employer what they would say to you is they've got their hands full with their core business functions and they're struggling staffing their manufacturing lines they're struggling with just with turn over there and probably some reluctance to take on another area that you have to worry about staffing for that's outside their core competency you know they're in a business to produce a product and so we do child care is important child care is so they're probably reasons why there's not finding that something they want to engage in but at the end of the day you know having an adequate you know good child care system available in our state is absolutely essential for economy and so I love those the stories that were being told about the southside school district and what it seemed to me to be a collaborative working relationship to the business community and in Pensacola and this child care facility and it's great story and maybe trying to find ways we can multiply stories like that around the state. The manager of that so the remarks I have had to take questions that that anyone may have about the the incentives I've got some but I'm gonna let representative Crawford take first set of questions. Thank you madam chair Hello Mister Hudson Robert Gaffney ma'am good afternoon is there a sense that everyone this offset Costin the sales tax no ma'am nine I don't. So we can presented to our communities and we're safe with all that yeah it's ME it's there it's just not getting utilized so yeah it police and presenter committees and curse them to contact us they'd like to despite and all right thank you. Any other questions from committee members members. Okay I I'm just going to ask for help which was this publicize because that could that also be part of it that a lot of businesses just even know that these tax credits existed At a is it out there on the there is a successful you know if you're a business of any size and scale which is typically the sort of business that would want to take advantage of this they're pretty aware of our incentive programs whenever a new business is considering coming into the state we have fairly extensive briefings with them all the different incentive programs that we have certainly we can always do a better job I think you know explaining stuff so that may be part of what we need to do as well okay if you can just stay right there if if possible if I can have Tanya and gena come back up but you stay and representative McKenzie all let you ask your questions just a second because I I just wanted their input to see if there's anything that they know what I've been working with child care providers any other tax incentive incentives or things we can do to help businesses if you have comments on why this has not been utilized that we've had in place since the early nineties you just give general input. So how will state predates my time here but I was working with the division of child care during that time and I remember you know I think about that's what it was back in the dark ages in terms of social media the things that we do today in terms of pushing information out which I still think sometimes misses the people that you're trying to get it to but when I go back to that time I know there were probably media hi things that were done historically but we have not done anything in a long time to publicize that and I think we could work in partnership with commerce to do a better job with our you know our businesses we've done a lot of work with commerce around this expansion in supply building but we haven't talked about this aspect and I think there's something that we get it I think we also have the ability we certainly have access and and I probably do too as we think about shared services in our agencies we have a fantastic communications team that do infographics and I think that's another thing simplifying it into very bite size pieces of information visually so that people can understand it because we talk and you know your credit jargon sometimes and acronyms that are not easily understood by the public and so I think really doing some real simple things but I certainly would make a pledge to commit to work with that to see if that might help us do a better job without reach in this area and I'll let you know there there are some other things for parents. And there are some barriers I think liability that makes you smart to understand that the liability that comes with that what you'll see most often there's an organization really world renowned and they have a new location coming available in Northwest Arkansas right horizons and this is sort of their thing they work with employers and businesses in a particular community and it's usually a contract will rights you can minimize some of your liability kinda one removed on that and they they offer exceptionally high quality care so it's usually under written by the employers and some sort of way of consortium is a would be more likely it's tricky back to those numbers again I actually act in my other lifetime Burlington northern Santa Fe was one of our corporate partners in Tarrant county they built a most beautiful child care program and nobody came and so you've got it there's the what we need and what we want and this when you look at things like a nontraditional hours second ship third shift the idea of bringing My Baby to a a big place and leaving them with instant dental work for parents like it just really and then there's that issue of transportation right it's closer to this this half of this partnership but when you've got to travel for business now I've got to go across town to get the baby there right it's great on the days you go to work but if or if you have the kind of jobs we don't go in regularly the engine and the logistics I guess is really the word I'm saying when it comes to up. Two parents trying to get them there so they often child care is closer to their home because they think through those logistics and they also think through logistics like you're gonna meet pre K. kids that you're going to kindergarten with verses on the other side of the town and then you go to kindergarten you won't have any friends so there's just so many nuances that come into the back to capacity and supply and demand situations so some of the things that have been one example that I worked with intent in the Dallas fort worth area we had a contract with you A. WGM they were looking for child care for their second shift and I was directing a child care resource referral program and we recruited family child care to help with second shift there was kind of a bonus situation happening where regardless of the number of parents to take you up on it we you could sustain it I'm so that was available and it was really highly successful so usually has something to do. The solutions I have seen over decades that there's usually some sort of consortium and some sort of brokering of this partnership in some sort of way I had another opportunity to work with the group employers who had created this complex right beside Dallas fort worth airport and had trouble recruiting people because nobody lives near the airport for obvious reasons there's no homes so getting people out there and they approach to for profit child care company they'd built the facility they gave them the land it was basically a forgiveness loan to the for profit company that if I met these high quality standards and made available this access to my large group of employees so that was the key that they it was a three for two because the for profit charter company could have this foundational money going into it which was really kind of risky where it was located the employers could recruit retain people and the parents got and the really high quality program for a market rate so you know that I think you do we just isn't out of the box kind of solution if it was an easy answer we figured. Can you tell us briefly a you sent me information and I'll be happy to share with committee but about Louisiana and some of the tax breaks that are there that have been passed to salute created a whole suite and I think that's part of the pieces when you start pulling out different but as we said there's a whole lot of players in this formula and there is a family credit which Arkansas also has Louisiana is a little bit more robust there is one for providers which is the actual institution like family child care center and then there's one for the work force which we advocated for a few legislative sessions ago and one for employers and the employer one is a much more Broad in what qualifies as far as their support to improving access and quality in their in their community in this case of Paris but it's been really successful there's some really now it's been in place I want to say this is its fourteenth year and they have seen an increase in staff retention they've seen an increase in program quality and increasing access but it's this the I think this sort of safety net approach where it all parties all those rising at the same time I think is what makes it really exemplar. Okay representative McKenzie. Thank you madam chair and you answer a couple of my questions laws waiting there just a few more one was going to be about what other states are doing couple concerns or questions I have from a business standpoint. Besides the liability you mentioned and just the headaches that you mentioned I can't fathom any business unless the incentive just all lot more why they would buy this off so even if we publicize it. Left and right hi. Yeah it's hard for a business yeah I think just in general we speak about incentives at ADC we never want to present an incentive where we turn and no into a strong no into a you know strong yes they're just we're dealing on the fringes on the margin is way too much and so a. Yeah I'd like to you and I sure would mean we'll try that can can we have something that can help incentivise to make the business case a little bit better that's where the sweet spot is on incentives but a lot of the headwinds against you know kind of having a child or city or a very significant summer nonfinancial and so I think somebody uses not even thinking about this and I'm interested in this I don't know that incentives and get them excited about it but they're already excited about it and using just a little bit of help getting over the finish line it might be something for them to consider so I would agree with your point. So my question with you mention Louisiana and I was gonna ask about other states so Before we were to go down this path too much I'm concerned about I would think that the only businesses of this probably would appeal to would be or large scale businesses so that concerned real bid for your small business is your mom and pops if it's hard enough to compete for that limited work force out there and all those that maybe we do make to the point where maybe large businesses want to hop in here and and and get into the someone in Louisiana. Eight do you know is it mostly your large businesses that are taking advantage of these. I don't know okay yeah and I don't think it's the thing that contributed the most to the the rise I think it was the work force credit was what contributed most right we were able to compete for a salaries because I think thank you for bringing that up we've got programs especially Northwest Arkansas of rooms close right now which is then another capacity issue and I have classrooms closed because I can't find staff and keep staff I have the Wonderful opportunity I facilitate of. Monthly roundtable with a group of directors and Southwest Arkansas and we we set our agenda based on this month we've got something going on this month they'll tell me what they want to take that next month we try to be very time sensitive to what their issues are and last month that what they want to talk about they were feeling good about staffing but they weren't getting candidates like so that they usually have people call in and see if they got positions available in some of these are school based programs that have a better than average salary for their own particular area and they were getting candidates so even when things are good they're not as good as they were before. Thank you manager. Explain just a little bit more what that workforce credit is that Louisiana was doing or that you tried here or a few sessions ago and failed what what was the issue what what was tried and what was the push back it was actually unanimous vote in the Senate and we adjourned before we got to the house so there wasn't a lot of pushback it was it was received very positively I think people understood the pay parity is a concern right we're really I think our friends at the school district made it late it really clearly out how important those positions are in them out of education and skills necessary the younger they are the more skill you really need and so this was I call it compensation strategy it was really it would if you think about half of the income tax credit for people working in early ad and it was the correct amount of the credit was based on their educational attainment because tiny mention teaching it was nice to hear the school district talk about specifically so we've incentivized an opportunity to go back to school either for your Taliban associates credential your assessed as a a degree or B. S. and we've actually been able with the Arkansans to move into more for more people acquiring a four year degree we were focused on two year degrees first and at the community college level but we don't have a strategy that compensation when you get out. And so because of the income is coming into a program overwhelmingly depends on your funding source that overwhelmingly is tuition based so I got my teacher out of her if she got out of her two year college finished Pulaski tech within an early childhood and may be I can give her another dollar twenty five right and that that's not gonna keeper we're gonna lose her to something else there so Louisiana saw this as an opportunity and when I talked to earlier practitioners about it it was said you discussing about like an annual bonus this is not something you and seeing your paycheck but it will help you buy those tires of half that doctor bill and they would smile and nod like yes that would be something the other thing that came from the tax credit was Deanna we talked to colleagues at length before we initiated it here being seen as important enough to have legislation about them that with the non financial benefit of being recognized as a professional in their state and being appreciated was really have a lot to do with the retention of staff not just when the tax credit itself and then I you know I think that. So resolution is probably aiming the effort work belongs which is that the work force and the things that probably is the greatest impediment right now a difficulty exits it's actually good news in some respects because of the work all done in terms income tax reform reform the value of an income tax credit if it's non refundable it probably is not that significant because again the dynamics this work force or not very highway charters to begin with and so there's not there's not tax liability there they can really offset against in order to get the benefit I'm not sure if we see an as is is refundable or or not if it is refundable so that that would create value for I think the the conversation we end up having is you know well occupations you know we also want to encourage and incentivize you know the line starts forming in kind of quickly goes out the door at that point for for some of that but it's again workforce I think is where we we probably ought to have the conversation what respects. Representative garner. Sorry I had some of my questions answered but I guess while you're all sitting at the table And resent us to some some interesting things in the world Justin or lands but anyway Back at my concern. Is that we're waiting too late to do the great things that we're doing so before reading to four and five year olds we're missing the point where eighty five percent of the brain is taking is developed that zero to three or prenatal to three what is it that we can do to help expand the infant toddler which is where we absolutely have to have that's where executive function starts that's that's where again eighty five percent of the brain is developed by three and so if we wait until pre K. E. we're waiting way too long so what can we do to increase I just looked at my I just looked at the search from here in fable there's one level three in fable Arkansas there's one level three infant care. program. And that's one of bailable whether you can afford it or not. How what what can we do today to get these these infant toddler care is going I mean that's so that was a big part of our push with the American rescue plan I mean in fact if you look at everything we did not find preschool. We said we're not going to find a standalone preschool state puts the state already makes a huge investment right and we have federal head start so we're going to focus on babies where that brain development some critical but we also looked at school age because if we don't have a good pipeline gonna have across you can have great early childhood and then your child goes to school I don't have aftercare programming so we looked at both of those pieces serve as bookends but the infant toddler is really critical I will also share with you all and we are working on it right now and there is an opportunity for at preschool development grant B. five that came out about two or three weeks ago federally and that Arkansas is eligible for up to twelve million dollars for three years you know I say this decide we can easily go. Another opportunity for three years but as a leader I have an office of responsibility I think to our state to go we have to invest the time and energy into this so we have a group of colleagues working on that and we've worked with the executive branch to get permission to do that so it is a focused it is focused really on infants and toddlers and just so you know that we were gonna have a little bit around three to five related to trauma because we have a lot of children yeah first of a three to five that are getting me fired for mental health issues it's it's huge it's a huge concern I cannot underline how concerning it is when you get calls from programs to say I can't serve this three year old I don't understand that but I understand they need help so we're doing a lot of work in this space but we're really going to get deep into that work in this grant opportunity to really eliminate that part but our big focuses on infants and toddlers it'll be expanding access but it's also regarding the work force getting better training and I have a whole piece about family engagement we we've got to help families understand that birth to three time space as well so having a sort of. Two pronged approach both with the educators are individuals working with babies but the parents who have those babies to to understand what the carriers are doing what's important it's not just babysitting your baby's brain is developing at the most rapid pace that will ever develop so we we're that's sort of the approach we have in sort of a big bucket so I just want you all to be aware that will keep you apprised will have to come and ask for appropriation if we get it but we're really looking at one time investments not and we're not looking at serving more children unfortunately but I don't think that's the best approach for our state because will serve him for three years and then we'll have to back out of that and that's not fair to families either so we're really looking at one time investments how can we help build the workforce better how can we help families and how can we expand programs with one time like let's help you buy all the things you need in your program to get started that lift off then you can have paying parents pre K. bouncers all the different things funding sources possibly to help offset those costs I would you want to share I don't want to get away from this meeting without sharing this with you all because I think it's critical to pay pay parity we raised our rates at the Department last September and we pay for childcare subsidies predominantly for low income outside of these essential workers but we raised our rates and are level three rates are highest quality level is higher than ABC in this state there hasn't been an increase in pre K. state funded pre K.. But we rights are right because we can't sit and wait for that to happen we have a federal responsibility to look at it and assess the right but we have to pay for quality. But I say that to say there can be an impact on parents to pay when we start raising our rates we have to be that's a very delicate balance we have to be very careful about that but we did raise ours are in that right you heard them say that charge a hundred twenty five are infer intent right is fifty five dollars per day at level three so we pay significantly more than they're charging their school district employees for an entire. So I just want you all to be we're trying to discuss we know it costs money to pay people in it and we don't want them to get it teach scholarship and get to come out with a degree and then not have to be paid for it so it's it's all these things work together so I just wanna make sure you're aware of that. Just follow up I'm sorry just one follow up with it I love the department of commerce and and H. S. is working together. in in all of our and all of our conferences at the roof into the server and all of our research we know that there are other things that help in the early device development like paid family leave and earned income tax credits and and those kinds Tucker trick credits those kinds of things are you guys working together with some of these other departments to to look at those things that you're if you're working with grant with grants especially from federal are. I'm so afraid and I know we've seen it all over the country of being so sideload like in the early childhood we have early childhood and aging children youth and early childhood and education and early childhood and and Public Health what you know what are we working together to make those things happen. What let me take the first shot of that I think from a park permit commerce's perspective you know what we would encourage is employers to be competitive in the marketplace. In this is you know that one of the tightest labor labor markets on record and so while I'm not a fan Avenue version as an employer in the past offering some things like you know paid time off I can choose not to do that if I want to actually you know go out and get employees if you Frenchs are just as competitive as straight salaries and so I've got to be an attractive employer got being competitive employer at same time you know we're we're not actually. Posing a mandate that someone has to offer that you we want the market place to kind of function that regarding I think it's sort things out. And we're in that sorting period right now I wonder if you know we might seem a little bit more stability you know a few more months down the road when we see whether or not some of these things like telecommuting stay for the long term or as a temporary measure I think that's injected some uncertainty into the child care market as well because if I don't have a a steady customer base because they don't need as much on the reasons it needs much because I feel it could depend on as much you know they probably pull back on spending and so if I'm an employer runs a child care facility I'm having to recalibrate myself and so I think some of this is just the market has got a sorted out a little bit more and that's across the board not child care it's fast food it's everything we're in a very difficult time right now in terms of workers. Representive Springer. Good afternoon thank you madam chair good afternoon it's good to see you again miss Williams you and I've had this conversation for years about early childhood education so thank you all for being here you touched on my question a little bit but I want you would you please expound a little bit more about description of the rates of reimbursement for the different levels of child care can you just go through each level tell us about that Senator absolutely and it's actually on our website of concern that leak and I think I have a copy of them with me but we are required federally in our block grant to do I write study. When we submit a block grant plan and that's every three years so it doesn't mean we have we have historically nodded to raise the rates that we had to submit that study and when we did the study and I believe nineteen we went right into the pandemic and so it it just you know and. By fortune the state benefited we receive money for child care but we had to raise the rates up until last last fall and we had planned to but then we started getting all that money we did do a supplemental increase during the first part of covid so we paid programs that receive subsidy additional money for instance it was higher than preschool and school age when we got into last year I said we have we need to address the right and so for a I'll just give you for a level one program and that is you know in and let me just ask is we we have also addressed rates because they take all the counties I look at everything the state and I take that all the providers we have that information in any provider that puts their rights in our system they're not required for example had start doesn't charge that you're federally subsidized but all the programs that have chart that charge parents generally put their rights in our system so that we can see that and so for level one providers in Benton Washington County because it is an out liar the rights in that community were so significantly different than others that we pull those out separately and and did those a little bit different and based on the market right it's based on data but they're right for level one is forty dollars for an intent for at level two it's forty two dollars and for level three it's fifty five. For Irvine which would be Little Rock Central Arkansas and aunts and many other communities in the state level one is thirty three fifty for an infant. Level two is thirty five and level three is fifty five we did level three across the board it's all the same because a baby in this area is equally important as a baby in this area we're trying to get to that right across the state likes Department of it does for children a little bit more consistent but because of the way the market rate is done federally we still have some differentials and wanted to represent Springer so for our rural communities for level one is twenty seven dollars for level two it's twenty nine and for level three it's fifty five. So but I will send you all the link to that so you can look at it because you can say and that's just for infants there's toddler preschool and school age there's also a dining and we can hear those rates are low that higher across the board to all right thank you so much and thank you again for your presentations today yes. and if you'll send that link to Blake will help he'll be getting out a lot of information to all of us and maybe he can put it all in. One or two. Emails out all of us we all get it representative Crawford. Thank you madam chair. Is there a place maybe a website or can we. Can you get this information again. The different list of funding possibilities for individuals and businesses even school districts to help them start a facility. Is there only one. We talked about today. We are there others hello everyone of me was when the ADC in terms of the incentive that we have and I can we give you a paper copy of it but we also send you a link to where it is on our website more happy to do that but that's the only one that's on I'm aware of on a person no one another age you're not commerce it's just that one all right in a follow up please so this outside school district can may also receive those incentives since or to the school or not they're not employer no ma'am has to be an employer private employer okay all right and this may be to you because sassa what's already going on correct other program is a standing seam so why standing I didn't have a question because I was overwhelmed by what they're doing we need that in each community and we have the possibilities imports me out through our peak innovation center to create that do you does anyone know what do they service a pilot program where they help other people get started. Well I can tell you the person who started it works for me and she's working with people all across the state when they call and reach out am I will also share with you that we have funded some work in Fort Smith and in this very space with some of the American rescue start at money that I think could fit in with what you're talking about I think there probably is effort it might just be a matter of communication between everybody but I'd be happy to talk to you all about that yes that done Jeffrey and I'm sure the school district as they are available I want to commit them but I know don who was instrumental in starting it and would have been here that she has a family emergency but have plan to be here the first time but I told her not to worry about it today that I will take care of well let's communicate so I don't try the offense something. I I don't have yes they're amazing and I want I want to point out something though they said about it kind of goes back to what represent Garner the. You you lose money in the infant room and so it's and that's why we're not seeing it for programs in Fayetteville and if we we have to be really careful this is a really fragile ecosystem and if we pull kids out and put them in public school then we've got small businesses to go under and they might have been the one program that had the so it's a it's just such a really interesting ecosystem at what I've been saying and I need to I'll clarify this I'm the spouse of someone in the financial institutions so I need to say this is a for it we've put this public good in a free market system and it doesn't work because it was just based on supply and demand it would have taking care of itself and the best argument I've seen which made me think about when you talk about the able the Walton family foundation pulled a supplying demand research piece together pre pandemic so it's been a minute and it was one of the it is just chock full of really helpful data and in this smaller you know to County sphere but it really is applicables everywhere and of one of the things that they looked out with these programs leaders it was only one program leader that the interview that base there right to families on the cost of care which should kind of blow your mind but wasn't surprising to a lot of us and so it's what can the market bear and then even though their food may go up and their wages may go up but if parents can't pay more than they find themselves in a rock and a hard place there was a model brought to my attention has been about twenty years ago from a woman who did research and said that we should really think about really and let me think about higher ed and we think about get kids getting grants and scholarships but no families paying the full rate of what higher it costs right. Is supplemented as the industry but at the federal and state level and then we ask for really a sliding fee scale for college students and that same sort of system I think is what many of us as far too in the future because as you've heard well this afternoon it's just really complicated like I said it's a fragile ecosystem so when we put things in public school have to be careful about but there are some really good partnerships about that in fact sell side wanted me to tell you if it if their name came up again they actually are testifying in another meeting on a on a topic around mental health so they needed to leave before we were done and they hated that because they they were very happy to be here but I think they would be the first to tell you that in in partnering with that early education in their community has been something that's been a part of what they've done to you they've provided free curricula through your paid for by the school but to programs in their area because of Mr rich who they mention that the first of the all the kids are going to be our kids so how do we know we're Garner store they are how can we improve what's going on around them. If I just add to their hinder that commits. These are the experts obviously for child care you know the state of Arkansas and you know I think the the degree of struggle the industry itself pass to figure out how to operate efficiently efficiently and profitably can you imagine employer who spends all his or her time manufacturing widgets of some sort yeah they they just don't have the expertise to be able to solve this problem they're dependent upon you know external experts to be able to solve the problem and so again what I like about the this the US outside model or something like that is in getting summer back to peak innovation center you know it's a collaborative relationship what what is a standing about peak is you had this partnering of the schools with the business community where the business community drove the needs you know they told the schools this is what we need versus being told what they're gonna get delivered and there was a collaborative conversation the whole way and the other taxing themselves for they're they're gauging the effectiveness of it I think a summer's or collaboration on this issue would probably helpful as well to get get businesses to the table I guess is my point. Okay in representative garner I think you might have for the maybe the last set of questions or and that was as I was looking through I didn't see the and I know we've talked about this before but I didn't see the requirements for each level and and what the differences between level one two and three sat on the website or is it okay I just missed it I can find it it is not and not include that but it's a R. better beginnings dot com and it has all that information there's okay pieces for parents and for providers so it it's a very well done website but I'm happy to see in a are better beginnings dot com. I'll send a link Blake when a significant. All right and have it on I think that just about does it I'm sure we have we can talk about this for a very long time but I think we've opened a lot of possibilities for some future legislation or some rule changes are just having discussion and and all that I think so much of the problem is just for not sharing what each other's doing and how we can all work together and maybe this helps push that along thank you everyone for the time that you spent here today I did want to make sure representative at Cooper. I know you had a constituent here who originally had some questions that I wanted to make sure that we kinda answer those questions for you today. Okay. And the rest will be able to answer okay just wanted to give an opportunity. Okay what we'll get that off line just wanna make sure Cameron Cooper appreciate that the push to put this meeting together and and get some conversation going again thank you everybody and meeting is adjourned.