A Senate Study Committee tasked with determining ways to increase access to affordable childcare in Georgia has adopted a final report to guide legislation as lawmakers go into the 2025 session of the General Assembly. Recommendations from the Study Committee on Access to Affordable Childcare address three areas of concern: improving workforce recruitment, development, and retention; expanding access for more families; and increasing funding opportunities for existing childcare providers.
State Sen. Brian Strickland, R-McDonough, served as Chair of the committee that was created by Senate Resolution 471 during the 2024 Legislative Session of the Georgia General Assembly. The committee held four meetings hearing testimony and research from experts and stakeholders from across the state.
One of the top areas of concern focuses on building and retaining a strong workforce pool. The recommendations include implementing a refundable tax credit for early childhood educators and providing additional options for childcare workers to receive access to funding for childcare services. Other recommendations under workforce development include evaluating goals and state funding guidelines regarding pay for infant and toddler classroom teachers in reference to current Pre-K and K-12 teacher pay; and consider enacting state laws concerning discrimination against and accommodations for new and expectant parents in the workplace.
The second area of recommendations center around expanding access to more families. Some of the ideas include increasing the tax credit for child and dependent care expenses, and prioritizing the creation of a Georgia Child Tax Credit helping families with the youngest children offset the expenses they incur as their children reach school age.
Other recommendations in this area include:
· Increase state funding for Child and Parent Services (CAPS) to provide access for more Georgia families.
· Consider access to Pre-K for families with 3-year-olds in the existing program funded by the Georgia Lottery.
· Consider grants to USG and TCSG schools to cover childcare for student-parents who are enrolled in programs that align with the state’s new High Demand Career List.
· Encourage businesses to support their employees in accessing childcare through cost sharing and other innovative initiatives.
· Study the concept of instituting a Georgia Child Care Trust Fund similar to that of other states and study whether a tri-share program similar to that of North Carolina or Michigan would be feasible, along with increased employer incentives for childcare access for their employees.
The third area focused on increasing funding opportunities for childcare providers. The recommendations include:
· Expand eligibility for Georgia’s tax credit for employer sponsored childcare and making the amount of that credit more generous.
· Create and fund a Building Opportunities in Out-of-School Time (BOOST) 2.0 grant program and evaluate other new funding sources to account for programs with proven success and return on investment for families and communities in need of after-school programs.
· Evaluate regional differences in CAPS reimbursement rates and other current reimbursement rates being provided under the existing program.
