Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Childcare Workforce And Regulation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Child-care providers ask Senate to keep peer-review appeal, expand worker-childcare benefit and eligibility
Summary
Multiple child-care owners and CEO Project representatives asked senators to restore the peer-review appeal process, support Senate Bill 177 (free childcare for child-care workers), and expand eligibility for publicly funded child care, arguing these changes would stabilize centers and expand capacity.
Several child‑care providers and representatives of the CEO Project told the Ohio Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday that changes in the budget process and the removal of a peer‑review appeal would imperil small licensed providers and urged support for Senate Bill 177, a proposal to provide free child care to child‑care workers in exchange for their employment.
Speakers including Nafree Cook (CEO Project), Sandra Phillips (Pitter Patter Learning Center), Tashiana Quachie (owner of multiple centers) and others said many early‑childhood educators cannot afford care for their own children and that offering subsidized slots for staff would make hiring and retention easier and unlock classroom capacity for families.
"There isn't one of us as Ohioans who goes unaffected by the care of, educating of, support of, or lack thereof as it relates to child care," Nafree Cook told the committee, and she urged restoration of the peer‑review appeal process to protect centers from closures driven by licensing disputes.
Why it matters: Providers said a peer‑review appeal would provide due process for licensing disputes and that SB177 would reduce staff turnover and increase classroom availability by letting workers enroll their own children in the centers where they work. Witnesses also asked the legislature to increase public-eligibility thresholds for subsidized child care and to retain language that prevents abrupt closures of small providers.
Discussion vs. decisions: Senators asked clarifying questions about program design and cost; providers emphasized that many applicants on interview lists hesitate to accept jobs because they cannot afford care for their own children. No formal legislative decision was taken at the hearing.
Ending: Providers urged the Senate to include peer-review protections and SB177-related language in the omnibus budget to stabilize the workforce and expand access; committee members requested additional information as negotiations continue.
